F1 TV's exclusive broadcast is the best way to watch F1

Launched in 2018, F1 TV has evolved from a simple way to watch Formula 1 after cutting the cable to an optimal way to watch it in English.

At just over $80 a year, F1 TV remains the cheapest way to watch every single practice session, qualifying session and race session of every single Grand Prix weekend. Not to mention it is also the exclusive location for pre-season testing.

But that's not all. Slipstream's focus today is on the exclusive English broadcast the service offers and how F1 TV has assembled an exceptional roster of talent after just a few years of existence.

First things first. The clear MVP of F1 TV is Sam Collins.

Collins is a technical expert who is very adept at breaking things down in a series that has a number of technical variations from team to team.

Unlike other broadcast experts like Larry McReynolds, Collins doesn't usually have the luxury of having a fancy graphic that takes up the entire screen, as F1 TV still uses the world feed. This means that he has to articulate his arguments with little to no visual reference, and he does this very well.

Occasionally, Collins also has a knack for numbers. For example, he was the first on the show to notice last week that Max Verstappen had used up all of his allocated engines after losing another one in FP2.

Verstappen will now serve a five-place grid penalty this weekend for Sunday's (November 2) race, a huge shift in the championship battle; Collins was the first to notice.

He is also a really fun follower on social media, Sometimes.

Will Buxton is a nerd in a good sense. For example, he will reference something from the 1960s and try to put everything into a historical context, even if he exaggerates it a little. Lawrence Barretto is kind of there, to be honest, but he's fine with what they're making him do on the broadcast, which usually just keeps him on the pre- and post-race shows.

Something F1 TV does really well is engaging people and bringing them up to speed as soon as it airs. For example, Ruth Buscombe Divey has only been part of the show for a few months, after years of working as a racing strategist for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. But she handled the change very well.

What I appreciate about Divey and Collins is that they both make sure to complement each other. They would do well not to step on each other's toes or repeat themselves. Collins has started to focus more on technical aspects like upgrades, leaving Divey to develop in-race strategies like tire wear or dealing with crash issues.

Laura Winter and Alex Jacques both do great work in their roles as studio host and play-by-play commentator, respectively. Both of them cope well with communicating with each of their colleagues, as they rotate every week, sometimes even every meeting, while keeping things on the road and in focus.

Jacques in particular has a difficult job in some respects just because there will always be people who see him as the budget David Croft brand. And that's somewhat fair, because no one in racing can call a race as shouty as Croft.

But Jacques has carved out a unique place for himself and is an incredibly solid commentator. I also think he brings some things that Crofty doesn't have, namely a closer connection with younger drivers, having covered them over the years in F2 and F3.

Jacques also worked with them when they were reserve drivers. Speaking of reserves, F1 teams have quite a few of them and they appear sporadically in broadcasts. Some are really stilted and not that great in an on-air role. Some could probably be full-time commentators tomorrow, namely Pietro Fittipaldi and Jack Doohan, the two most visible reserves.

And then there are the other experienced drivers on the show.

I think Jolyon Palmer and Jacques go together like peanut butter and jelly. Whenever they stop working together in broadcasting, they could create a great podcast together. Many practice sessions with just the two of them in the booth usually turn into a question-and-answer session where Jacques finds out what Palmer thinks about the current issues.

Palmer brings a different dynamic than many other racers-turned-hosts. As someone who was an unforgettable pilot and spent a lot of time as a test and reserve driver, he brings a new perspective to many things. This is especially true when we see test drivers coming in and getting sparse F1 opportunities.

I don't hear much from David Coulthard as he only broadcasts the races and I'll stick with the Sky broadcast just because that's what most viewers do and I know how to frame it Front stretch Cover. I have to say that he copes well in a show that usually features two drivers alongside Jacques.

Finally there is James Hinchcliffe. Yes, the same Hinchcliffe from IndyCar is broadcasting that deals with this “other” open-wheel series. I have repeatedly described Hinchcliffe as the best 'colour' commentator in racing over the last few years and it was great to see him in Formula 1.

Hinchcliffe has never raced in the series, meaning his work for F1 TV is limited due to IndyCar broadcasting duties. But he's still great when he's in the locker room. The Canadian is great at connecting things with the average person on the couch and can also do genuinely funny comedy better than most.

If Hinch gets the FOX gig, I really hope that doesn't stop him from doing F1 TV in the fall. It really shows how talented he has become in broadcasting and that he can fit in so well with this team.

That's it for the F1 TV talk. I should note that F1 did not pay for this column, nor does it pay us (Liberty Media, send me free stuff). The rise of F1 TV has come while Sky Sports' coverage, from what I've seen of it, seems to be stagnating.

If you don't have cable, F1 TV is the best bargain in all major professional sports. If so, and you're nerdy enough to read this far without shiny embedded tweets because FOM blocks them, it's probably still a lot.