There’s now less than two weeks to go until Formula 1 fans will finally get to see all the cars that will compete for the 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, on track together for the first time.
Wednesday 19th February is the first of six days of pre-season testing, prior to the opening round, the FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2020. There are two sessions, both at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, the first ending on Friday 21st, while the second runs from Wednesday 26th to Friday 28th February.
More access to media and fans
This will be the first year that the pre-season tests will be an official Formula 1 event. Thanks to unanimous agreement from the ten teams, fans will be able to follow testing in far greater detail than in the past. One important element is that teams are no longer allowed to deploy vanity screens at the front of their garages while the track is open in the morning and afternoon. The only exceptions to this are if a car needs to be repaired following a crash or a technical failure. It means that, right from the very start of winter testing, the ten new cars will be fully visible to the media in pit-lane, the fans in the grandstands and those watching testing on F1 TV.
Live streaming on F1 TV Pro
F1 TV Pro, Formula 1’s OTT platform, will broadcast testing from 9am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm (CET.) Subscribers to F1 TV Pro will also be able to watch Sky UK and F1 round-up show, which is part of Formula 1’s television package from the event, produced daily in the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya paddock from 6 to 7 pm.
Alongside the live broadcasts, F1 TV is also producing various on-demand content available also to F1 TV Access subscribers. Each day in “Tech Talk”, Formula 1’s Digital Presenter, Will Buxton, will be joined by a host of guests to discuss the latest technical developments and analyse the performance of the teams. At the end of each three-day test, Friday 21st and Friday 28th, Buxton will host “Paddock Pass,” which will feature exclusive behind the scenes news, interviews with drivers and engineers as well as insights and analysis from former F1 drivers and pundits. For those who are hard at work during the week, there will be an on-demand programme, “What we learned” available on Saturday 22nd and Saturday 29th February. On Friday 28th, after the final chequered flag of the second session, Jolyon Palmer, who drove in 35 Grands Prix, will give an initial assessment of how things went and his prediction for the start of the season.
Another new initiative for the media present at testing is that, during each one of the six lunch-breaks, Formula 1 is organising, in conjunction with the FIA, press conferences featuring drivers and team representatives. Full recording of these will then be available on demand on F1 TV.
