Convey speed, vertigo, a sense of danger and dynamic sports emotions Formula 1 This is not light work. A challenge where technology has opened up new ways to convey the picture and sound of circuits to fans, while real-time data collection makes it easy to create graphs to understand drivers’ strategies and decisions in races.

To this end, the championship has not hesitated this year to equip its arsenal with the latest technological developments, with particular emphasis on cameras and sensors. Among the first, super slow ones stand out, which thanks to artificial intelligence offer the best definition, as well as those that lie in pit lane And on the ship on the pilot’s helmet. For their part, 300 sensors are placed in each car, which generates 1.1 million data points, and 150 across the circuit, enabling the technology provided by AWS Provide insight with different racing and telemetry situations.

«We are looking for a different concept of broadcasting, not what was done 20 years ago. new technologies open new paths for us”, he assures EXPANSIÓN Dean Lockechampionship broadcasting and media director.

Coordinated large amounts of information from production facilities Biggin Hillthe UK-based competition technology and media headquarters, works remotely to produce and deliver broadcasts to 180 territories via 60 broadcasters.

Two teams

The emergence of the pandemic forced changes to the broadcasting system. Instead of producing races on the same circuit as traveling teams, this work was concentrated in one remote location. However, within each grand prize there is a production team tasked with collecting data, images, and audio.

“Raw material was supplied from the circuit but review, mixing and production took place in the UK, where the broadcast director could view all footage in its entirety. What fans see in the house comes from central control,” explains Locke.

Thanks to this organizational change, facilitated by technology, the amount of people and materials that have to travel to each circuit has been reduced by 35% thanks to remote work. In total, 350 professionals work in broadcasting, 190 of which are solely dedicated to broadcasting. If required for some type of emergency, mobile production units can produce from each circuit. “A situation that only happens twice,” said Locke.

Plus, each team has its own personalized story, so sponsors value how their brand is reflected in the image. «It’s about every member of the broadcasting team trusting their partner, they have to be very in sync. It is a sport without dead time, very dynamic,” he added.

In addition, the success of Drive to surviveseries of Netflix regarding the championships, has led to a change in the placement of microphones so that they pick up the roar of the fans and arrive as it is at home.