The F1 2026 season continues with the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend after Mercedes’ George Russell sealed pole position in Australia
The Formula 1 2026 season is well underway and there are some major changes on the to Sky Sports’ TV coverage. Mercedes’ George Russell secured pole position in Melbourne last week, with the drivers now in Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Ahead of the season, Sky Sports revealed plans to launch what it describes as ‘cutting-edge broadcast innovations’ for its F1 coverage. Fans will soon be able to view an immersive sidebar for TV viewing each race weekend that will display Race Control, in-race standings and a Recap – or replay – feature.
Other standout features of the sidebar include dedicated driver and team pages, enhanced data, explainers and improved homepage navigation. Viewers can also stream onboard cameras for every driver – complete with team radio messages – during each race weekend.
The new features will be rolled out later this year at no extra cost to Sky Sports customers on Sky Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q devices, with a launch date to be confirmed. F1 fans who don’t currently have Sky access can subscribe from £35 per month for the broadcaster’s flagship Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle.
This includes coverage of every practice, qualifying session and race live from every race weekend this season. The package includes nine Sky Sports channels, around 100 regular TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Disney+.
Sky’s discounted Formula 1 package
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifier and race live with Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an introductory deal that saves £336.
As well as nine Sky Sports channels, this includes around 100 regular channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
There’s also an option to the £42 Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle, which comes with 35 extra channels and will soon include Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu at no extra cost from March. Sky customers can add Sky Sports F1 to their existing subscription package as a rolling monthly subscription drops from £20 to £15 with a special offer.
Virgin Media customers can get Sky Sports channels too with the provider’s £52.99 Sport bundle, which comes with more than 200 channels, 362Mbps fibre broadband and Netflix. A caveat to both Sky and Virgin’s deals is that prices may change at least twice during the 24-month contracts, including the usual April price increase.
Sky touts itself as the ‘ultimate destination’ for F1, with the new features joining existing coverage such as Pit Wall Live, The Grid Walk, The F1 Show and the returning The Notebook. The latter airs post-qualifying and post-race on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively, to deliver analysis and the latest updates from the paddock with reporter Ted Kravitz.
Announcing the changes, Sky said: “Sky Sports is preparing for one of the most highly anticipated F1 seasons in recent years. With viewership increasing year-on-year, 2026 promises to be even bigger with new cars and rule changes coming into play.
“Featuring an expert line-up, cutting-edge broadcast innovations, and the only place to watch live coverage of all 24 races, Sky Sports remains the ultimate destination for Formula 1 fans in the UK and Ireland.”