Channel 4’s live coverage of Formula 1, beginning with the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend, will feature no additional live feeds, this site can confirm.

The feeds were previously featured on the BBC’s website and Red Button service from 2009 to 2015. The live video feeds included on-board cameras, a pit lane feed and a driver tracker. Instead, Sky have gained exclusivity to these feeds as part of their contract with Formula One Management (FOM).

Furthermore, Channel 4 note that they will not be continuing with BBC’s F1 Forum programme as they do not have a Red Button service. The forum used to air via BBC’s website and the Red Button. Again, there was the hope that the forum (or a programme of a similar nature) would air either via online, or one of Channel 4’s supplementary channels such as More4. Channel 4 are keen to emphasise though that they are looking for ways to “expand our service.”

A Channel 4 spokeswoman told this site: “We don’t have any access to extra feeds for live content, Sky have that exclusively as part of their deal. Although we don’t have a red button service for us to do a ‘fan forum’ type programme, we are looking at ways we can expand our service.”

“We have already launched channel4.com/f1 which is the home for the voice of our presenting talent – with authored columns from DC and Karun. We’ll also have lots of video from all the races available online e.g. here is a highlights package we produced from Australia – http://f1.channel4.com/video/australian-grand-prix-highlights/. And we’re looking to expand what we do as we move through the season. “