Sky Sports F1 needs an urgent shake-up and one driver could fix it

Sky Sports have held the broadcasting rights to F1 in the UK since 2012, eventually acquiring the exclusive rights in 2019 for all but the British Grand Prix, but their coverage is in dire need of a shake-up.

To be fair, a lot has changed in the sport since then, from the jam-packed schedule to the heightened public interest in the drivers, their personal lives and even live team radios, which are all laid bare for viewers to listen to (when Sky aren’t encountering technical issues that is).

But after broadcasting what is easily marketable as the most high octane sport on the planet for over a decade, Sky's F1 coverage needs a refresh.

Now that's not to say that Sky Sports don't have some big names on their roster. Jacques Villeneuve, Nico Rosberg, Martin Brundle and of course, Ted Kravitz, all bring their own, very different flavour of punditry to the table.

Additions like Bernie Collins should not go without praise either. Collins has done a lot of good for the way women in motorsport are viewed and any weekend with the former Aston Martin strategy head as part of the coverage, provides a completely new perspective that drivers just aren't able to add.

A strong presenting lineup is also key to the coverage flowing seamlessly, and when Sky get it right, it really leaves you wanting more.

But there lies the problem, you're always wanting more. Rosberg's unpredictability, Villeneuve's scathing driver takes, and Brundle's class and experience cannot be replicated, but none of these pundits are available 24/7 and when Sky are without them, their broadcast falls flat.

Sky Sports F1 absences signal worrying trend

Ahead of the 2025 season, some of Sky's most popular stars, namely Kravitz and Brundle, reportedly signed contracts which mean they don't need to be at every race this season.

Instead, eight out of the 24 race weekends this year will leave viewers watching through covered eyes as Brundle's famous grid walk goes on without him, making for some of the most cringe-worthy TV you'll ever sit through.

Scheduled absences have meant that Sky's coverage has missed the mark a few times this year, with the same interviews and lie detector reruns consistently shown between sessions to fill the gaps where shows like Ted's Notebook would normally air.

And while we're at it- Karun Chandhok- it's not personal, but I'm not sure how many more times I can watch you conduct an interview on a bike.

These breaks from the calendar are understandable, but Sky need a rotating lineup of presenters and pundits that give the viewers what they want- unique insight, believable chemistry and debates where you simply can't look away from your screen.

Again, any weekend with Rosberg or Villeneuve is always worth tuning in for. But at the end of last season, Sky lost another champion from their roster in the form of the ever-candid Damon Hill, and they failed to add an interesting signing to the broadcast in his place.

Sky's coverage urgently needs a breath of fresh air, and there's one driver in particular who could be just that.

Calling Daniel Ricciardo: F1 NEEDS you back

As F1 continues to draw in a new fanbase, it is likely broadcasters all over the globe will be scrambling to think of fresh ideas to keep 'young people' interested. Hey, even Stefano Domenicali thinks a full-length grand prix is too much for the brainrot-riddled Gen Z viewers to handle.

But where some turn to influencers in a weak attempt to keep younger fans interested, the real answer is being ignored entirely. I present to you- Funditry!

F1 takes up most of my brain's capacity to consume sport, I'm not even an avid football fan. Yet the lineup of Kate Scott, Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher on CBS Sports Golazo keeps me watching every time another viral clip rolls around on social media.

That is what F1 is missing and Daniel Ricciardo is the man who could bring it to the table.

Sky F1 needs consistent authenticity, Villeneuve and Rosberg may give some wild takes at times, but no one can ever accuse them of being inauthentic. Ricciardo is cut from the same cloth and though the pairing of he and Villeneuve could certainly get sticky after the 1997 champion's verbal attack on the Aussie last season, there's no denying it would make great TV.

Ricciardo has now retired from motorsport and is enjoying life away from the fast lane, but even he himself admitted in his heartbreaking final interview with Sky that it would take some time to assess his future once his time came to exit the sport.

But who better to give his takes on the very drivers he competed against not that long ago? F1's viewership yearns for 'funditry' and the honey badger is the perfect pundit to introduce it to F1.

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