11 teams, 22 drivers, 22 cars, 24 circuits and a global fanbase of 827 million fans — including 52 million in the U.S.
The sport is Formula 1, and its season kicks off on Saturday with the Australian Grand Prix on Apple TV.
Bringing the live sport to audiences is no easy feat, but Variety got a peek inside the central nervous system of the sport with a visit to F1’s Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, an hour outside of London.
Once upon a time, it held Boeing airplanes, but now, it’s home to over 300 screens and state-of-the-art technology, offering the F1 team hundreds of visual and audio sources and options to deliver live coverage around the world as it happens, within nanoseconds. It is also home to the sport’s commentary booths as well as Formula 1 TV studios.
The center, which opened in 2020 as a remote production hub, took nine weeks to build. From the practice tests to the Grand Prix race, the center works in conjunction with the on-site Event Technical Centre (ETC), which is present at every race.
The “World Feed” is one of the first rooms visible upon entering the Media and Technology center, and is named for the international TV broadcast, received by over 180 territories. “That is where everything leaves the building,” says Head of Live Production Wendy Hendrickx.
Mission control also delivers the feed for F1 TV, designed for direct-to-consumer audiences and supplies a range of Formula 1 video and audio content. Simply put, all camera, audio and infographic footage from the racetrack comes from the team at F1’s Media and Technology Centre. It was that same team that helped Joseph Kosinski’s sound team bring “F1: The Movie” to life and roar with authenticity.
The key is that the team doesn’t just broadcast a sport, they tell a story of adrenaline-fueled action, driver competition and more with every frame and every sound. Henndrickx says, “The storytelling aspect is a balancing act that we need to do because we have product, and it’s a super complex sport.”
Hendrickx walked through the various stages of how the team brings every Formula 1 race to life and how vital they are in the storytelling aspect of the sport, which is relentless and unforgiving.
Setting up the track, Mics, cameras, action…
Deep in the hangar are containers and cog upon cog of fiber cables ready to be shipped out. These are laid around the track and transmit data gathered at the ETC back to the Media and Technology Center.
In addition to the cables, Emma Penney, engineering manager, audio & RF, travels to the circuits and places 150 microphones around the track and up in the crowds to capture the sounds of practice sessions, qualifying races and the Grand Prix races.
The camera system capturing every frame of the track, cars and drivers is extensive.
Each car alone has nine cameras. Most audiences are familiar with the camera that sits in the T of the car, offering a front-facing view. Other cameras include the onboard camera, which is placed on the rear wing, nose and around the car.
In addition to that, there are anywhere from 23-28 trackside cameras, pit stop cameras and helmet cameras — all in 4K.
Satellite vs. Fiber optics tech.
Over 600 terabytes of data are transferred between the two facilities every event weekend, and they use fiber cables. Hendrickx explains, “There’s a one-second delay across the world. Satellite has a bigger delay, because the satellite always means one second up and one second down. And if you are on the other side of the globe, the satellite needs a direct visual line into space, and if you’re in Australia, that will take seconds.”
However, they do provide satellite images to some broadcasters for those who opt for that.
There is a disaster recovery system in place which can kick in and transmit via satellite. If there were to be a power cut, there are power generators both at Biggin Hill and at the track.
Team Radio
Team Radio is exactly that — the radio feed of driver and engineer audios. That means 44 feeds. Each driver has their own audio feed on a screen that the radio producer and the editors can monitor and listen to.
Ray Warner, the team’s radio producer, says he can easily pick out the driver voices as he listens to the chatter. But it’s Warner who is responsible for helping to pick out which clips are heard. As with the entire operation, he has milliseconds to act. Every clip he picks out tells the story and advances it.
With the advancement of technology, there is now a transcribing tool on hand, but Warner says, human transcribing is not only faster, but 99% accurate. And in their world, speed and accuracy matter because what they deliver ends up, usually, on the World Feed. There is no room for error, so in Team Radio, the human touch prevails.
A New Generation of Fans
With films like “F1” and Netflix’s series “Drive to Survive” bringing new audiences to the sport, Hendrickx says the demographic of the sport has shifted to a much younger audience — 43% of the total fan base is under 35 years old — and so has its female following. Women now make up approximately 42% of Formula 1’s global audience. Hendrickx says, “’Drive to Survive’ was a massive boost for us. When Liberty Media took over, I think there have been massive steps forward in how we present ourselves to our fans, but also how we innovate.” She adds, “It opened up a lot for us. All of a sudden, it became more than about just the racing. It became a spectacle. It became and entertainment thing, and that has attracted a lot of new young fans. They want to know more than just the racing.”
The Formula 1 page now has short videos with everything from Williams driver Carlos Sainz predicting who will win the 2026 season to drivers answering, “Which driver would YOU want to be stuck with?,” and the fans are tuning in.
As for innovation, the F1 Academy was launched in 2023 to champion women drivers. Hendrickx, who pushed for visibility of the Academy, says, “They drive on race weekends and have the visibility. It’s our team using the same resources, and the team is really into it.” She adds, “That’s how we push the boundaries.”
