Formula 1 has responded to Carlos Sainz’s sharp criticism of its television coverage, following the Williams driver’s claim that recent broadcasts have focused too heavily on “celebrities and girlfriends” at the expense of on-track action.
The Spaniard voiced his frustration after the Singapore Grand Prix, where fans on social media also complained that key late-race battles – including Sainz’s own overtakes and a duel between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso – went unseen.
The omission has reignited the debate about whether Formula 1’s production team is prioritising entertainment over racing.
Speaking to Spanish radio station Cadena COPE’s El Partidazo, Sainz acknowledged that off-track reaction shots can enhance the spectacle – but warned that the balance has tipped too far.
“It’s becoming a bit of a trend,” he said. “It must have worked for them at one time, that people found it interesting to see our girlfriends, to see famous people on TV, their reactions and so on.”
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For Sainz, that approach crossed a line in Singapore, where fans missed much of the late-race action.
“Last weekend they didn’t show any of the four or five overtakes I made at the end of the race, nor did they show Fernando’s pursuit of Lewis, they missed a lot of things,” he explained.
“So, the other stuff is fine, I get it, but you shouldn’t miss the most important things. For me, they even exaggerate a bit by showing the celebrities and girlfriends.”
His comments quickly gained traction among fans, many of whom echoed his frustration on social media – accusing FOM, the company behind Formula 1’s global broadcast feed, of missing too much of the sport’s real drama.
Formula 1 Responds: Key Focus Is On Racing
Formula 1 moved to defend its coverage, insisting that its production team aims to capture both the intensity of the racing and the broader context that makes each event unique.
“We always focus on giving our fans the best possible footage of the race and never compromise the key focus – the racing on track,” an F1 spokesperson said, quoted by Motorsport.com.
“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.”
While Formula 1 acknowledged the challenge of following every key on-track moment, it maintained that its broadcast approach continues to prioritise the racing itself.
Kym Illman’s Analysis: “Just 15 seconds in total”
Amid the debate, veteran F1 photographer Kym Illman decided to put Sainz’s claims to the test. He meticulously reviewed the official Singapore Grand Prix broadcast and timed every instance in which a “celebrity or girlfriend” appeared on screen.
“From lights out to just after the chequered flag, the race broadcast ran for one hour and 41 minutes,” Illman said in a video posted to his YouTube channel.
“Now, during that time, how many girlfriends did they show? Two! Rebecca Donaldson (Sainz’s girlfriend) at the back of Carlos’ garage, for eight seconds, and Lando’s girlfriend, Magui, for seven seconds.
“Now that is a total of 15 seconds in a telecast that ran 6,060 seconds. Now that’s a quarter of one percent of the broadcast focused on two girlfriends. Is that overkill?”
Illman’s findings suggest that while F1 may have missed key on-track action, the criticism about celebrity and partner airtime might not be entirely justified.
Read also: Sainz slams F1 for putting glamour over racing action on TV
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