Australian viewers beware!

[eytl]

Changes to the Ten/One HD F1 coverage in Australia have been revealed.

Gone is that uber-ignoramus Cameron McConville, but he's been replaced by not one but two semi-ignorami in Craig Baird and Daryl Beattie, so when joined to the thoroughly-unnatural style of Greg Rust means the level of mediocre discussion has remained the same.

BUT ... Ten/One's "man on the ground" this year is no longer Peter Windsor, but James Allen!!!

Why in the name of all that is holy (quote Clarkson) do we have to get both Legard and Allen during the same coverage??

I think even the Brits will start feeling sorry for us.

[shinji]

And I can just sit back and listen to the commentary stylings of David Kennedy on Setanta Sports. Hells yes.

[Bort]

BUT ... Ten/One's "man on the ground" this year is no longer Peter Windsor, but James Allen!!!

He is working exclusively for Ten/One now?
If so, hopefully he will keep his rabid pro-British driver ravings to a minimum so as to not alienate his audience even more than he already has by simple being James Allen.

[Enforcer]

And I can just sit back and listen to the commentary stylings of David Kennedy on Setanta Sports. Hells yes.

I'd almost pay for Setanta Sports just to have his commentary back. The Irish have the best commentators for everything.

[Klon]

Meanwhile at Network Ten:



But from what I've heard, Allen supposedly has become quite better in the last year. Correct me if I'm wrong, though...

[Jordan]

Well, at least the oneHD feed I get for WRC coverage is miles ahead of the crap MotorsTV commentary of the same bleeding coverage, so maybe it won't be all bad

[Cynon]

James Allen used to work on the US coverage of F1 -- seems like nobody wants him, so he was dumped on you poor Aussies.

[Captain Hammer]

BUT ... Ten/One's "man on the ground" this year is no longer Peter Windsor, but James Allen!!!

If his role is anything like Windsors, the Idiots will talk with him before the race and that's it.

Or more concern to me is the way the government is apparently considering making sports available to Pay TV only.

But from what I've heard, Allen supposedly has become quite better in the last year. Correct me if I'm wrong, though...

I think he's actually really good in print form, probably because he has time to think about what he wants to say. In the commentary box, someone always has to be talking.

[Collieafc]

Both Allen and Legard? Thats harsh

[thehemogoblin]

Both Allen and Legard? Thats harsh

It's like Australia is being treated as Formula One's prison colony or something.

[MinardiFan95]

I can't believe it. Network 10 has made their F1 commentary team even worse this year . The only good thing about having James Allen as the "man on the ground" is that he replaces Peter Windsor who would've went on with some publicocrap about USF1 trying to enter in 2011.

EDIT: Tonight at 11pm (AEDST) on One HD is a 2010 season preview hosted by the new commentary team. The only thing worse that I can think of would be watching re-runs of the 1999 Spanish GP and the 2008 & 2009 European GP (at Valencia) one after the other.

[noisebox]

BUT ... Ten/One's "man on the ground" this year is no longer Peter Windsor, but James Allen!!!

Why in the name of all that is holy (quote Clarkson) do we have to get both Legard and Allen during the same coverage??

I'll put myself out on a limb here... I think Allen is really good at that role. He has great F1 knowledge and his blogs are well worth reading. A more analytical role is better for him, and he did the job very well for ITV. Also I think Legard improved last year, and whilst David Croft might be better on the radio I think he does an OK job.

As an aside I read yesterday that Jacques Villeneuve will be summarising for BBC Radio 5 Live in the UK this weekend as Anthony Davidson is testing for Peugeot.

[Alianora La Canta]

Changes to the Ten/One HD F1 coverage in Australia have been revealed.

Why in the name of all that is holy (quote Clarkson) do we have to get both Legard and Allen during the same coverage??

I think even the Brits will start feeling sorry for us.

I'm British, and I certainly do feel sorry for you and my fellow Australians. James is a very good writer and pitlane reporter, but if he's effectively commentating again...

[Jordan192]

I'll put myself out on a limb here... I think Allen is really good at that role. He has great F1 knowledge and his blogs are well worth reading. A more analytical role is better for him, and he did the job very well for ITV.

I'm with you there, actually. just because he's an awful commentator doesn't mean he's totally useless. Don't let him out of the pitlane and he's fine - Johnathon Palmer was much the same, actually.

[Phoenix]

I do have an advice: just focus on the race, not the commentary (it'll be painful at certain places like Valencia, but nothing's perfect). It's what I've been doing since I watch F1 (especially when the Alonsist sermons, and I am an Alonso fan, reached its peak in 2006 and 2007). In fact, I also do it when watching football.

[Debaser]

I do have an advice: just focus on the race, not the commentary (it'll be painful at certain places like Valencia, but nothing's perfect). It's what I've been doing since I watch F1 (especially when the Alonsist sermons, and I am an Alonso fan, reached its peak in 2006 and 2007). In fact, I also do it when watching football.

If your with a large group of people you don't listen to the commentary anyway, when I watch football with people the chat and abuse of the spectacle before us drowns out the commentary. James Allen's a decent pit reporter, though was prone to wet himself at possible spectacular strategies that rarely happened. But yeah, with commentary that bad your probably better turning off the commentary, or finding some decent commentary from another source on the internet.

[eytl]

But yeah, with commentary that bad you're probably better turning off the commentary, or finding some decent commentary from another source on the internet.

Or doing it ourselves!

[Phoenix]

But yeah, with commentary that bad you're probably better turning off the commentary, or finding some decent commentary from another source on the internet.

Or doing it ourselves!

You should record it and offer us the result

[Keirdre]

Allen is definitely better in written form. I quite like him when I can't hear him.

[AndreaModa]

Has anyone else watched the BBC highlights for the practice sessions today? The voice-over guy for that is AWFUL. It's like BBC news' Robert Peston x100! He doesn't need to linger on every word!

[Keirdre]

Has anyone else watched the BBC highlights for the practice sessions today? The voice-over guy for that is AWFUL. It's like BBC news' Robert Peston x100! He doesn't need to linger on every word!

Haha, I thought exactly that. Not good at all. Get Ted Kravitz on the case!

[beetleman64]

Legard AND Allan in the same show? Ow! That's going to hurt. At least we only have to endure one.

Come on BBC, bring back Murray Walker or John Watson or Jonathan Palmer (or I'd suggest James Hunt if he were alive) or promote David Croft to TV.

[Bort]

Good lord the most painful part of the broadcast was when we actually lost the BBC audio feed because that meant Greg Rust would come on and just show us all how horribly unqualified for his job he is.

"The cars are driving... uhhh.... fast.... around the .... circuit."

*screen caption showing Hulkenbergs name over a car appears*

"...and uh... there is Hulkenberg driving... uhhh...."

[watka]

Good lord the most painful part of the broadcast was when we actually lost the BBC audio feed because that meant Greg Rust would come on and just show us all how horribly unqualified for his job he is.

"The cars are driving... uhhh.... fast.... around the .... circuit."

*screen caption showing Hulkenbergs name over a car appears*

"...and uh... there is Hulkenberg driving... uhhh...."

I'd forgotten how bad Legard was until today, but it sounds like you have it terrible Down Under. Plus AUSTRALIA'S MARK WEBBER didn't even have a good race.

[Captain Hammer]

You know, I don't think James Allen was that bad. I heard he was the one running the press conferences last year, and if last night is anything to go by, I think it could actually play out pretty well. He asked Webber some fairly decent, open-ended questions that gave Webber the opportunity to give some pretty detaled answers.

[MinardiFan95]

Good lord the most painful part of the broadcast was when we actually lost the BBC audio feed because that meant Greg Rust would come on and just show us all how horribly unqualified for his job he is.

"The cars are driving... uhhh.... fast.... around the .... circuit."

*screen caption showing Hulkenbergs name over a car appears*

"...and uh... there is Hulkenberg driving... uhhh...."

It was even worse when before an ad-break they were showing AUSTRALIA'S MARK WEBBER trying to pass Button. At least that didn't give Rust the chance to say "The action is just heating up here in Bahrain, so stay tuned after this (long) ad-break".

[Phoenix]

Good lord the most painful part of the broadcast was when we actually lost the BBC audio feed because that meant Greg Rust would come on and just show us all how horribly unqualified for his job he is.

"The cars are driving... uhhh.... fast.... around the .... circuit."

*screen caption showing Hulkenbergs name over a car appears*

"...and uh... there is Hulkenberg driving... uhhh...."

Damn. That's really rejectful. I could do it miles better myself.