F1 issue statement over divisive Singapore GP TV coverage

F1 have issued an official statement after complaints were made about the TV coverage at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Fans were left bemused by the fact that several on-track battles were missed by the TV director, who decides on which camera shots to show the world's TV feeds.

Carlos Sainz even said that F1 went 'overboard' by showcasing the reactions of garage guests such as some of the drivers' girlfriends and partners during Sunday's race, pointing to the fact that they did not display some of his overtakes.

Reactions from Sainz's partner Rebecca Donaldson, Lando Norris' girlfriend Magui Corceiro and golf star Lily Muni He were all among the paddock guests that appeared on the broadcast, while Kimi Antonelli's overtake on Charles Leclerc, nor Fernando Alonso's late charge on Lewis Hamilton, were shown live.

Following complaints from Sainz and F1 fans on social media alike, F1 has issued an official statement to GPFans.

"We always focus on giving our fans the best possible footage of the race and never compromise the key focus - the racing on track," the statement read.

"Our team does a great job of covering a highly complex situation with multiple cars at different points on a track and also provide great context moments of the grandstands, high profile guests and the locations we race at.

"We are always in pursuit of excellence and improvement in what we deliver."

Sainz's TV coverage rant

Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft was left a bit bemused by the fact that the TV cameras were not showing Alonso's charge on Hamilton on the last lap, after the seven-time world champion had lost his brakes.

It is not Sky Sports that choose the pictures that are displayed across our TV screens in the UK, with a central TV director issuing the same feed to channels all around the world.

Sainz called for more action to be shown on TV in the future, rather than the reactions of celebrities and other paddock guests such as the family and friends of particular drivers.

The Spaniard told radio station El Partidazo de COPE: "It’s becoming a bit of a trend, which must have worked for them once upon a time when people found it interesting to see our girlfriends, to see famous people on TV, the reactions.

"I understand that if there is an overtake, a very tense moment in the race, it is understandable that the production team might want to show a reaction shot if they have seen that it has worked in the past, but [they only should] if the competition is respected and you are always showing the important moments of the race.

"Last weekend they didn’t show any of the four or five overtakes I did at the end. Nor did they show Fernando’s pursuit of Lewis, they missed a lot of things.

"The other [thing] is fine but don’t lose sight of the main thing. For me, they go overboard a little showing the celebrities and girlfriends."

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