What happens when there’s more track action than what makes it to our screens? During its last outing, viewers missed key moments around Marina Bay as the Formula 1 broadcast failed to deliver. Fans noticed, and drivers did too.
Carlos Sainz was one of the drivers who spoke out, questioning the fine line between sports entertainment and pure show business.
Carlos Sainz joins criticism of the Formula 1 broadcast after missed race action
Fans at home missed plenty of unaired track moments during the Singapore Grand Prix, including Hamilton’s brake failure and midfield overtakes. Carlos Sainz, for instance, enjoyed multiple overtakes that saw him cross the finish line in the top ten, starting from 18th position.
None of Sainz’s overtakes were aired on the live feed; instead, fans at home were looking at crowd, celebrity, and garage reactions. The Spaniard didn’t hesitate to voice his opinion. He made clear that the Formula 1 broadcast should focus on the racing, not the spectacle:
“It’s becoming a bit of a trend […] Last weekend they didn’t show any of the four or five overtakes I did at the end. Nor did they show Fernando’s pursuit of Lewis. They missed a lot of things.”
Carlos Sainz has criticised the way Formula 1 broadcasts live race 👀 pic.twitter.com/82u23IZxBW
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 8, 2025
Sainz continued, “The other [thing] is fine, but don’t lose sight of the main thing. For me, they go overboard a little, showing the celebrities and girlfriends.”
The format’s popularity is its selling point; the famous wives, girlfriends, and celebrities that join the paddocks and garages are now part of the “show”. But Sainz’s concerns about TV coverage emphasizing the spectacle mirror what fans are saying online.
Formula 1 fans want more racing and fewer ‘celeb cameos’
Formula 1 aficionados feel that the essence of the sport shifted away from pure competition. For them, it’s about the wheel action on the track, and they expect nothing less. As one fan mentioned on X:
@Duffman19864: “I don’t tune into F1 to watch the drivers other halves or famous people, I tune in because I want to watch the racing.”
Fans also reacted en masse to a cheeky reply from Fernando Alonso. For context: Formula 1 shared a radio communication in which Alonso told his engineer he’d “disconnect the radio” if he spoke every lap. The Spaniard fired back with a playful reply, hinting at how little of the real action fans got to see.
With pole position secured for the private radio broadcast, time to fine-tune the main coverage and bring all the on-track excitement to the fans! 💪💪 Vamos! 😂👍🤞🤞🤞 pic.twitter.com/XROoZPDeEo
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) October 5, 2025
Fans echoed the call for genuine racing coverage. While team loyalty can divide them, F1 supporters stand united on one thing: Formula 1 and its coverage must not lose its core. The grit, the pure performance, and the wheel-to-wheel racing are what make the sport exciting. The show can be grand, but that should never come at the expense of the fans who pay and want to watch real racing.
