BBC or Sky: The War for F1's English Language Coverage

BBC's F1 team - Jordan, Humphrey and DC

Martin Brundle and Sky Sports' F1 team

Ben Edwards: lots of CART, BTCC experience

Most English-speaking Formula 1 followers outside the UK would have noticed quite a change in the commentary in the first two races of the season. Last season, you would have listened to the dulcet tones of Martin Brundle and David Coulthard as most networks including Sky NZ and Australia's Ten/One Network took the BBC's award-winning F1 coverage.

This season you can still hear both of them but albeit not together. That's because Martin Brundle, who has succeeded Murray Walker as Britain's voice in Formula 1 has gone to BSkyB leaving behind his former protege, David Coulthard at Broadcasting House.

David Coulthard is now courting the in my opinion, highly rated, Ben Edwards, who is now the main commentator at the BBC while the BBC's new face of sport, Jake Humphrey and Eddie Jordan do all the soft studio work. And yes the husky but excellent Scot, Lee McKenzie is still there. And if you can't get to a tele, there's the dulcet tones of James Allen and Jaime Alguersuari to listen to.

Dulcet? Maybe not based on this:

Meanwhile away from the impoverished British public sector, Martin Brundle, Ted Kravitz and David Croft have left the BBC to take charge of BSkyB's swanky and in-your-face F1 coverage. Croft and Brundle are your voices in the commentary box while Ted Kravitz is down in the pitlane with Natalie Pinkham. Anthony Davidson will provide expert opinion, something he last did at ITV. 

Now, just a reminder of why this has happened. Since heaps of Brits are out of work, David Cameron has capped the licensing fee for a couple of years meaning that the BBC is broke. Hence, why Bernie Ecclestone has decided to give part of the broadcasting rights to Rupert Murdoch's cash-rich British arm, BSkyB.  

It's been happening for years by the way. F1 in Germany is now on Sky Deutschland and in New Zealand, Sky took over from TVNZ in 2006 - and I must say that was the best move ever as TVNZ never even did qualifying while Sky has shown every session since 2010. Only Australia still has F1 on free-to-air although the television scene there is a bit more like America's with the likes of 7, Nine and Ten being pretty rich and far more powerful than the ABC.

Anyway, the BBC and Sky split has appeared to become a talking point amongst British F1 fans and even those overseas who listen to the English language feed - to be honest, these two are better than the dreadful Steve Slater who fronts the ESPN Star Sports F1 coverage in Asia. 

Sky New Zealand appears to have got the BBC feed for the year which to be honest is still par excellence. Call me biased about the BBC, but the world's most beloved public broadcaster is still numero uno at broadcasting top quality sport, especially F1 and the Edwards/Coulthard duo is actually quite entertaining. 

Mind you I would like to sit through an F1 race with Croft/Brundle to find out what the fuss is about.

Before we start writing off Sky, remember how they started off with the First Division/Premier League. Look where they are now. Furthermore, they have all the money to burn unlike BBC so could be the sole broadcaster of F1 in the near future.

Anyway, feel free to comment on who you prefer, BBC or Sky below. I'll leave you with some clips of intros of past F1 coverage just to get you nostalgic.