Formula One 360: 2018 to See 360° Cameras on Cars

F1 bosses, Liberty Media, have been looking for ways to enhance the viewing experience for fans. To this end, they have carried out several tests with new cameras on cars this year. From 2018, it will become mandatory for all cars to run the golf ball-size camera on top of the chassis. Formula One 360 will be a new experience for the fans.

“There is a 360-degree camera being added to next year’s car on top of the chassis, which will give a different perspective of things,” said Force India technical director Andrew Green. While that will improve the footage available to FOM, the introduction of the halo means other cameras either have to move or that views will disrupted.

“That will be just in front of the halo. It’s very impressive. The only new position that will occur because of the halo is the high speed camera position, which is the one that looks at the driver in the event of an accident. I don’t think this is footage which is readily available or happens that often to be honest. The other camera views around the halo are slightly more obstructive because of the halo – they are not an improvement. They are not enhanced.”

The introduction of the new camera comes after F1 technology partner Tata trialled two live 360-video cameras at the Singapore Grand Prix. F1 bosses were keen to see if there was scope to introduce them as part of the regular television feed in future. Tata wanted to check on its data transfer capabilities, as live 360° feeds have proved challenging to introduce for sports because of a long delay before the images can be processed.

This isn’t the first time that 360° cameras have been implemented in motor racing. IndyCAR have been using it for a very long time, MotoGP have also adopted it in recent years. It is just surprising the a sport of Formula One’s calibre has taken so long to use the technology. With that being said, Formula One 360 will open up new avenues for visual experience.