
FutureSPORT 2025: F1's Wendy Hendrickx on putting fans at the heart of the action By George Bevir
Friday, November 7, 2025 - 10:39
Print This Story
F1 head of live production Wendy Hendrickx took FutureSPORT attendees behind the scenes of the sport, sharing insights into how the F1 Live Production Team gets viewers closer to the action.
Speaking to a packed audience at the Amex Stadium in Brighton yesterday (7 November), Hendrickx explained that innovation - on the track and via broadcast production has always been at the heart of F1, with the Live Production Team tasked with coming up with new and creative ways to immerse viewers in the action and give them authentic experiences.
The fans keep us on our toes, and that's why we try new things, explore new opportunities, and make sure they have the best possible experience, she said, before talking through some of the recent additions to coverage of the sport.
First up was Gyro Cam, an on-board unit that can stay level with the horizon to reveal a track's undulations and camber changes.
This is especially valuable at tracks with big variations in height, or steep banking like the Netherlands, for example, which has two very fast sections. Brazil is another where we see a lot of vertical movement, said Hendrickx.
The gyroscopic effect and vibration can be remotely controlled from F1's Biggin Hill base.
Previously, we tried to make on-board cameras as smooth as possible. Now, we're looking from the viewer's perspective. They want to understand how hard it is to drive a Formula One car. It's not just sitting back and relaxing. This angle shows the forces on the driver's body while driving at high speed through all these different corners and circuits.
Ghost Car
Hendrickx also spoke about Ghost Car, which provides visual insight into how racing lines impact lap times by using GPS data, timing and telemetry to combine or overlap images of two cars.
Ghost Car is a new feature for our broadcast partners, explained Hendrickx.
We compare pole position with second place. First, we capture lap data, then we use GPS, timing, and telemetry to overlay images. We also have to contend with different camera angles and fields of view, but aligning them helps viewers see how close the racing is. You can see where one car is faster than another; every car has different strengths around a lap.
Read more F1's new Ghost Car comparison feature aids broadcaster race analysis
As well as helping to illustrate lap times, it also adds a layer of gamification and appeals to younger viewers, she said.
This especially appeals to younger fans because it connects to gamification. They've seen ghost cars in racing games. It also helps quantify small time differences; when we are dealing with hundredths or thousandths of a second, what does that actually mean? Is that one metre? Ten metres?
Previously, people haven't been able to see that difference visually. For example, this year we saw a 0.01-second difference between pole and P2. [Ghost Car] shows how tight it really is and what precision the drivers need at extremely high speed.
Hendickx revealed that one of her favourite onboard angles is the Rear Collision Camera.
We can have up to nine onboard locations, and this one sits on the rear light, just below the exhaust. It gives super-close views and is especially valuable at race starts.
The challenge, she explained, comes from the environment in which it operates.
It's located at the back of the car, exposed to huge heat from the power unit. There's electromagnetic interference to manage, shielding, heat resistance, and data transport to manage so we can receive the footage.
We also must not interfere when teams change gearboxes or power units. So, it requires strong collaboration with the teams and the FIA. For next year, we've redesigned the position, so it's definitely something we'll continue.
AI advances
And, on the ever-present topic of AI, Hendrickx said the vast amount of data generated during races has made assistance from AI a necessity.
No human can process it all in a split second, so AI helps turn it into strategy. But the human remains in charge of what goes to broadcast, she said, giving the example of team radio transcription.
There are about 4,500 messages per race across 20 drivers and race engineers. Normally, you hear something once and it's gone. Now you can just scroll and see exactly what was said. AI's main role is data processing to support storytelling.
In addition, F1 partner AWS, through its F1 Insights project, helps to translate data into graphics to aid storytelling, including Close to the Wall, which measures - and then displays how close each driver is getting to the barrier. Plus, Battle Forecast which combines track history and projected driver pace to predict how many laps before the chasing car might be able to overtake - helping to keep viewers engaged with the action.
F1 is difficult because it's not one ball and 24 players it's 20 cars spread over up to 7km. There's a lot happening at once. Insights help explain changes in gaps and race order, said Hendickx.
Looking ahead, Hendrickx said the sport will dictate what the Live Production Team focuses on next.
She said: Internally, we're discussing developments for next year. We've already done something new almost every race, whether that's small system upgrades or new graphics.
We're exploring many ideas, though it's early to share details. There will be significant changes on the grid next year, and that will drive further development.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
13/03/2026
Recently named CEO Andreas Eriksson has taken the helm at Net Insight at a pivot...
13/03/2026
Scripps Sports and Ally Financial are partnering with the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) to broadcast its first game on national linear televisio...
13/03/2026
Disney+ has launched Verts, a vertical video feed on its U.S. mobile app, markin...
13/03/2026
LTN, a managed IP video transport company, and Appear, a live production technol...
13/03/2026
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced an agreement with Sportradar for global betting data and streaming rights. Under the deal, Sportradar becom...
13/03/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/03/2026
The streamer will be the first entertainment platform to offer AI-enabled vertical video for live games, starting with the NBA...
13/03/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company specializing in interactive graphical overlays, has deployed its platform on Red Bull TV for Premier Padel coverage. The deployment...
13/03/2026
Monday Night Football, ESPN's premiere NFL property, has continued to be improved and upgraded from a production perspective. Alternative broadcasts are aug...
13/03/2026
At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight (booth W1653) is introducing the Nimbra 520, a high-density media processing node for live contribution and distribution across ma...
13/03/2026
Harmonic (booth W2831) has announced Spectrum X Plus, the newest generation of its Spectrum X media server, offering double the channel density of previous gene...
13/03/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the expansion of its Managed Technology Divi...
13/03/2026
Telestream (booth W1503) has announced the expansion of Telestream Cloud Services with the introduction of UP, a cloud-native solution for ingest, orchestration...
13/03/2026
From awards ceremonies and sports honors shows to festivals and fan conventions,...
13/03/2026
Overtime has announced a partnership with Metro by T-Mobile, naming Metro the Of...
13/03/2026
At NAB 2026, Calrec (booth C6907) will IP Ecosystem powered by True Control 2.0, integrating the company's IP-native Argo consoles - including the U.S. debu...
13/03/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news derived from press releases ...
13/03/2026
Spotify has always been built around your taste. More than 80% of listeners say personalization is what they love most about us. Now we're taking that even ...
13/03/2026
The new Spotify Legends Club has opened its doors. Its members: select German-sp...
13/03/2026
Pushing drum sampler technology into new territories
The latest version of Klevgrand's software drum sampler has just arrived, boasting a newly designe...
13/03/2026
Expanded headphone support & engine improvements
IK Multimedia's recently introduced ARC On-Ear system brings the power of their monitoring-correction s...
13/03/2026
Extra sound collections, more presets & new Keys category
UVI's rhythm and pattern instrument has just received a major update that introduces four new ...
13/03/2026
Over a year ago, L3Harris delivered the first missionized Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Two ATHENA-R platforms now average 400+...
13/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/03/2026
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced Spectrum X Plus, the newest generation of its Spectrum X media server, offering double the channel density of previous ...
13/03/2026
When Ewing Covenant Church made the decision to return to its original, historic building, affectionately called 1867 Sanctuary for weekly worship, the congre...
13/03/2026
Marshall Electronics introduces its first all-IP 4K POV camera, the CV574-WP, at NAB 2026 (Booth C8339). The CV574-WP supports NDI |HX, providing ultra-efficien...
13/03/2026
At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight introduces Nimbra 520, a high-density media processing node designed to simplify live contribution and distribution across both ma...
13/03/2026
Abandon Editorial Signs With Micha l Dimitri for West Coast Representation
Brie Clayton March 12, 2026
0 Comments
Abandon Editorial is excited to part...
13/03/2026
Documentary The Bulldogs Shot and Edited with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 12, 2026
0 Comments
Editorial tools helped shape film in real time,...
13/03/2026
AE Captions as Fast as CapCut - No Plugins
Graham Quince March 12, 2026
0 Comments
Stop wasting hours clicking through nested compositions and manuall...
13/03/2026
New Music USA and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Announce 2026 Nex...
13/03/2026
13 Mar 2026
VEON Delivers Record Digital Growth: 4Q25 Digital Revenues Grow 84%...
13/03/2026
Friday 13 March 2026
Sky Adds Blood on Snow to Original Film Slate in Acquisiti...
13/03/2026
RT has announced today that Rick O'Shea is the new presenter of Arena RT Radio 1's flagship weeknight arts and culture programme. Rick has been pres...
13/03/2026
Lights! Camera! Action! The 98th Oscars set to air live as RT backs the Irish n...
12/03/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 11th March, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dyna...
12/03/2026
Utah Scientific Expands Technology Partner Program With Integrations From Audina...
12/03/2026
Techex, a global expert in live video solutions over IP and cloud, announces the appointment of Matt McKee as Senior Director, Sales, Americas, further strength...
12/03/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America has appointed Mondae Hott as Regional Sales Manag...
12/03/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Interra Systems will showcase its latest advancements in a...
12/03/2026
The 15th National Games of China concluded after a two-week celebration of athletic excellence and regional collaboration. Held from Nov. 9-21 across Guangdong,...
12/03/2026
Live-production academic program Butler Sports Live produced a total of 40 fall-...
12/03/2026
The University of Nebraska's HuskerVision has completed the second phase of ...
12/03/2026
Grass Valley and integration partner Tab M Solutions have completed Phase 1 of a...