Formula 1 2014 season live on Sky & BBC

Formula 1 enters on a new era in 2014 and Sky Sports and BBC Sport are revving their engines in eager anticipation as they bring fans extensive coverage of the entire 19-race season.

Major rule changes for the 2014 season marks a new era for the world’s fastest and most glamourous sport with the cars expected to look and sound very different from their predecessors.

Sebastian Vettel dominated the 2013 season in style having won the final race in Brazil to equal a record of nine consecutive Formula 1 victories set by Alberto Ascari between 1952-53.

He also matched the great Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a single season on his way to becoming the youngest ever four-time world champion.

But its in with the new in 2014 as there has been a regulations revolution for this season that have resulted in the biggest cosmetic change to Formula 1 in recent memory.

Cars will have turbo-charged engines for the first time since the late 1980s, which will be fitted with extensive energy-recovery systems, plus there are a series of major aerodynamic changes.

These include complex V6 turbo engines and enhanced, environmentally-friendly energy recovery systems introduced – and while speculation is widespread, the proof will very much be in the pudding when the teams send out the cars to compete for the first time.

Also shaking up the world of motorsport has been the wholesale personnel changes – some prompted by team choices, some dictated by the preferences of drivers – and one thing has been for sure that off-season has not been dull.

Reigning champion Vettel will again be behind a Red Bull wheel but only two teams have remain unchanged – with Mercedes, Lotus, McLaren, Force India and most notably Ferrari all shuffling their packs.

The Italian giants have recruited the experienced Kimi Raikkonen from Lotus to partner Fernando Alonso with last year’s second driver Felipe Massa moving a seemingly rejuvinated Williams team.

Raikkonen won the title back in 2007 but despite occasional wins for Lotus since his return, has struggled to make the same impact since.

Following Mark Webber’s retirement, Red Bull have picked a promising youngster in Daniel Ricciardo as their second string and the 24-year-old Australian will certainly have his work cut out to beat his new four-time world champion team-mate.

Great Britain has lost one of its drivers from 2013 grid with Paul di Resta moving back to DTM, but former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button return with strong championship hopes for Mercedes and McLaren respectively, while Max Chilton will be hoping to make progress in his second season with Marussia.

Amongst the many rule changes for 2014, the one that has proved the most controversial rule changes, perhaps in F1 history, has been the awarding of double the usual allocation of points to the top-ten finishers in the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi, in a bid to lessen the chance of the championship being decided several races early.

While the calendar stays at 19 races for the second successive year, Korea and India make way for Formula 1’s long-awaited arrival in Russia and return to Austria after 11 years away.

In front of the camera, Sky Sports and the BBC will again go head-to-head to be crowned champions among Formula 1 fans in the UK as their teams get set to begin another long globe-trotting Formula 1 season, providing comprehensive coverage of every race across multiple platforms.

The only place to watch every race as it happens in 2014 will again be via Sky Sports F1, with the Monaco, Brazil, Singapore and season-opening Australian Grands Prix all exclusively live on the channel.

As in 2013, the BBC will show nine races live and free-to-air, including the British, Canadian and season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, plus the new Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

Simon Lazenby returns to anchor Sky Sports’ coverage, as does Suzi Perry for the BBC, though there have a been a few notable on-air additions and changes to the presentation line-ups this season (details below).

This is the third year under the current shared TV deal between Sky Sports and BBC, which is set to continue through to and including 2018.

Scroll down for a full rundown of when and where to watch Formula 1 on UK television this season.

Read SOTB’s viewing guide to the 2014 Formula 1 season below:

Sky Sports F1 returns for its third season in 2014 and will be the only place for Formula 1 to watch all the twist and turns as they happen throughout the year.

Every on-track session will be broadcast live from all 19 Grands Prix, with uninterrupted high-definition coverage of all qualifying sessions and races, plus all the action from the three practice sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.

As in 2013, ten of the 19 race weekends will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports F1 – available via Sky channel 406 and Virgin 516 – including three of the first four races and two of the final three.

The main on-air team remains unchanged for 2014 with Simon Lazenby returning to anchor all of Sky Sports F1’s live coverage on Fridays, qualifying sessions and race days.

Joining him once again will be former world champion Damon Hill, three-time GP winner Johnny Herbert and Martin Brundle, veteran of 158 races, who are all back to offer their forthright views and analysis throughout the season.

Brundle will also be in the commentary box alongside Sky Sports’ voice of F1 David Croft for every qualifying and race, while Anthony Davidson will continue to call the practice sessions alongside Croft, plus deliver his unique insights from the SkyPad, analysing key moments of the race with drivers and fellow Sky F1 pundits in the paddock.

In the pit lane and across the paddock, reporters Ted Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham will continue to provide viewers with the latest news, interviews and technical insights.

New to the Sky team this year is former Williams driver Bruno Senna – nephew of the late Ayrton Senna – who will be part of Sky Sports F1’s coverage at seven races this season – Malaysia, China, Hungary, Singapore, Russia, USA and Brazil.

Senna will be in the commentary box during practice sessions and offer race analysis with the presentation team throughout the Grand Prix weekend.

Sky Sports F1’s Race Control also returns to enhance fans’ viewing experience via the red button with extra video options getting you closer to the action, featuring multiple on-board cameras, pit lane coverage and live timing.

A range of online options are also available, including live streaming of Sky Sports F1 via Sky Go, plus access to Race Control via the Sky Sports website and iPad app.

As well as live coverage of every race weekend on TV and online, motorsport fans can also enjoy a vast array of the usual support programming throughout the season.

This includes weekly editions of the new-look The F1 Show, Ted Kravitz’s Notebook, F1 Legends with Steve Rider, Classic Races and various other documentaries and features from the world of Formula 1.

In addition to a full calendar of live Formula 1 coverage, fans will enjoy a unique insight into the future of their sport with live coverage of Formula 1 feeder series GP2 and GP3.

Online and via social media, fans can also keep in touch with the all the developments via Sky’s dedicated Formula 1 website skysports.com/f1 and @SkySportsF1.

In addition, Sky Sports News, with reporters Craig Slater and Rachel Brookes, will keep fans up to date with breaking news and in-depth coverage throughout the season.

Sky Sports F1’s executive producer Martin Turner said: “The rule changes mean 2014 is the most eagerly awaited season in years and only on Sky Sports F1 HD can viewers enjoy the full story live.

“From the first corner in Australia to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi, we’ll be there offering our viewers unrivalled live coverage and analysis.

“Our ten exclusively live races include several of the season’s key Grands Prix including three of the first four, two of the final three and of course, Monaco, the most glamorous weekend on the calendar. We can’t wait.”

Visit skysports.com/f1 for more information

As the highly anticipated 2014 Formula 1 season approaches, BBC Sport will once again bring free-to-air coverage of all the action throughout the year.

BBC TV will show nine race weekends live, including Malaysia, Silverstone, Canada and the last race of the calendar in Abu Dhabi, with the rest being covered via extended highlights programmes.

The majority of qualifying sessions and races, in live and highlights form, will be shown on BBC One and in high-definition on BBC One HD, with the likely exception of the British Grand Prix which is scheduled to clash with Wimbledon finals weekend.

All 10 of the BBC’s non-live race weekends will be covered with 75 or 90 minutes of extended qualifying/race highlights on BBC One and BBC One HD in a peak-time slot, including the season-opener in Australia, plus the Monaco and Singapore GPs.

As in 2013, practice sessions at live BBC race weekends will also be shown live on BBC Two and BBC Two HD, plus the BBC’s online catch-up service iPlayer will carry every BBC F1 programme for up to seven days after transmission.

On-air, the BBC team will again be led by presenter Suzi Perry, who will be joined by chief analyst Eddie Jordan, co-commentator and expert pundit David Coulthard, as well as new signing Allan McNish.

Ben Edwards leads the commentary team alongside Coulthard on all live qualifying and race coverage, while pit lane reporters Lee McKenzie and Tom Clarkson provide the latest trackside updates.

Joining the BBC team this year to make an occasional series of films will be former Red Bull driver Mark Webber, who will be looking at stories within the sport from his unique perspective.

One notable absentee from the BBC’s TV line-up this year will be Gary Anderson, who has left the corporation’s coverage after two seasons as its technical expert.

The BBC has expanded digital offering for 2014 and will bring the best of the F1 action to fans wherever they are, across four screens – PC, mobile, tablet and connected TV.

For live race weekends, viewers will have greater control over the action, with five different video options to choose from in addition to the streamed network TV coverage: the pit-lane camera (also available via the red button), a driver tracker, a stream of on-board cameras, TV pictures with Radio 5 live commentary and a timing screen.

Connected TV will also include on-demand video highlights after each session along with race reports and analysis.

The BBC Sport website will also once again feature regular contributions from F1 commentary legend Murray Walker, with analysis from BBC experts David Coulthard and Allan McNish, plus all the race reports and news throughout the season from the BBC’s chief F1 writer, Andrew Benson.

Audiences can access the BBC’s digital coverage from any device through the BBC Sport website, and via the BBC Sport apps for mobiles, tablets, and connected TVs.

On radio, BBC 5 live’s correspondent and commentator James Allen leads the coverage with Allan McNish as co-commentator, alongside pit lane reporter Jennie Gow, while Jack Nicholls also makes a BBC debut this year, stepping in for Allen at four races.

Fans can listen to every Grand Prix of the season on BBC Radio 5 live or 5 live sports extra, including coverage of practice and qualifying.

Every race weekend starts on a Thursday night on Radio 5 live with the Formula 1 preview show, and the Chequered Flag podcast is available to download at the end, wrapping up all the action.

Coverage will be supported through the range of BBC social media platforms, which are followed by millions of fans in the UK and across the globe.

This season sees a new dedicated BBC Sport F1 Twitter account – @bbcf1 – which will provide the latest news and behind-the-scenes coverage from across output.

Fans will also be able to have their say on key race incidents through online and Twitter hashtag votes, following the successful use of voting on other BBC programmes including Match Of The Day.

In addition, the BBC Sport Facebook and BBC Sport Google+ page will extensively cover every race, while the BBC Sport Instagram account will showcase the best behind-the-scenes photos from the BBC’s Formula 1 team.

Ben Gallop, BBC Head of F1, says: “We are all excited about the new F1 season on the BBC.

“2014 sees new faces to complete our first-rate team and a stronger digital offering to our output than ever before, which really puts users in control of the action.

“This season has already got everyone talking, with intriguing technical changes and team line-ups, and we’re looking forward to bringing that in all its glory to our audiences.”

Visit bbc.co.uk/f1 for more information

2014 FORMULA 1 SEASON – WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH

Race start times stated

MARCH 14-16

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

Round 1 – Melbourne