Sky Sports F1 is set to revolutionise its coverage of the Australian Grand Prix with the introduction of a brand new studio, marking a departure from the traditional on-site presenter lineup.
Presenter Natalie Pinkham unveiled the new studio at Sky Studios in Osterley, showcasing its advanced features, including augmented reality graphics and a 360-degree filming environment.
While commentators David Croft and Martin Brundle - along with pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz and presenter Rachel Brookes - will be reporting live from Albert Park in Melbourne, Pinkham, accompanied by pundits Naomi Schiff and Karun Chandok, will anchor the coverage from Osterley for this weekend's event.
The studio, resembling an arena and equipped with a large LED floor and high-resolution screens, has previously been used for Sky's coverage of various sporting events including Monday Night Football, US Open tennis, and NFL playoffs.
This groundbreaking move represents a significant shift for Sky F1, which has traditionally featured its full presenting team on-site since obtaining the rights to F1 in the UK in 2012. The on-site team will return for coverage in Miami in May.
“The Sky pad is here, bigger and better then we have out in the field,” Chandhok said.
“This looks amazing, doesn’t it? It’s going to be fun.”
In addition to the studio change, Sky's coverage of the race on Sunday will commence half an hour later, with the pre-race build-up reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. The race is scheduled to start at 4am (GMT) on Sunday, with qualifying on Saturday at 5am.