ITV Sport : F1 new look

Steve Rider makes his F1 debut on ITV in the preview show this lunchtime, along with new titles & music.

No news on the ad breaks, it had been rumoured they were looking at some kind of split screen thing, but it's not mentioned here. Tony Jardine is not part of this years coverage, apparently in part because Rider has been given more of a 'roving brief'.

From ITV-F1.com
Steve Rider will make his first appearance on ITV screens since rejoining the network when he presents this Saturday’s Formula 1 Preview from 12.40 to 1.10pm on ITV1.

Steve will present ITV’s award-winning coverage of Formula 1, which begins on March 11-12 at Bahrain and continues with live coverage of every race.

Former McLaren driver Mark Blundell will join Steve Rider at every round as ITV’s analyst.

Martin Brundle, who drove for the likes of Benetton and McLaren during his time as an F1 driver, will resume his acclaimed grid walk in the build-up to the races, as well as co-commentating with James Allen.

Louise Goodman and Ted Kravitz will provide reports from around each circuit and there will be guest appearances from experts including David Coulthard, Johnny Herbert and Eddie Jordan.

There are also new graphics and a new title sequence featuring drivers including Britain’s Jenson Button and David Coulthard. This will be accompanied by a re-working of Moby’s track ‘Lift Me Up’.

Looking ahead to the start of the championship in Bahrain, the preview programme will look at the new rules and qualifying changes, which have replaced the single-lap qualifying system used in recent years with a three-part, hour-long knockout session.

Also to be shown within the F1 Preview and ahead of the first race: Steve Rider interviews 2005 world champion Fernando Alonso and British ace Jenson Button.

ITV has also announced that it is finalising a deal with North One for the exclusive production of its Formula 1 coverage.

I fear he'll regret his move in the end . . . just as Lynam did. Although I do hope he'll be given a bigger portfolio than just F1 - Rugby World Cup, Touring Cars and ESPECIALLY The Boat Race.

The best F1 coverage IMHO was when Rider presented live from on the grid and around the pits on the Beeb during the early 90s. If ITV can get back to that simple, no frills format (with no ads), they've got something good.

Well given that the boat race is on the same day as the Australian Grand Prix, that seems unlikely.

I hope the Moby remix has had some effort put into it, I've just downloaded the original out of curiosity and it's fairly run of the mill. Out of interest, who was responsible for the BTO remix of the previous theme?

Oh, and I hope they've got rid of that annoying high pitched metallic sound when the aston slides on and off screen. It was never in sync with the graphic anyway!

Steve Rider's move seems to have been pretty low-key - not seen anything in the wider press about it at all, apart from perhaps a couple of lines in an article on Media Guardian.

Well if that was a remix it was very subtle. Titles are a bit reminiscent of ITV2's 'Too Fast' ident, and what's with Coulthard dressed up like James Bond?

Don't like the new graphics, very dull and sparse.

Probably a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that he, like many F1 drivers, lives in Monaco, drives fast cars, reknowned for his passion for the ladies etc... I found that a bit OTT, but the whole credit sequence was very Bond anyway.

Yeah quite obvious now I think about it... but utterly cheesy.

To be honest, I preferred the old title sequence, due to the theme. Anybody the name of it?

Well The mix i have of the old theme was by Bus Stop - You Aint Seen Nothin Yet. But i believe they only did a cover. Not sure who the original was by.