F-1 App and Website

I've been a fan of Formula One since the early 1960's seeing races in Germany. And I liked the Formula One Website for the last few years with the live timing. This season, which started today in Melbourne, Australia, Formula One rolled out their new app and Website.

This is truly a WTF moment where they bring it on-line with the first practice of the first race of the season and it doesn't work, or at least some of the Website, like the free live timing, isn't available, but the subscription version is, for $27 (US) a year or $3 per month.

But then they have the app too through the Apple App Store, but it requires a subscription to get anything, and yes, for the same price of $27 per year or $3 per month. But there's a kicker to this which really sucks.

The subscriptions are separate! 

You can buy either one but it doesn't work for the other one. Really, you get the app or the Website for one subscription but not one for both. That's $54 for the year or $6 a month for both if you want to get the information from either source than just one.

Really F-1? Talk about ripping off the customer. I'd like to think I'm missing something, but I can't see it as the app is through the Apple App Store and doesn't link to the Formula 1 Website. The app doesn't have a sign in account to sync with the Website.

I did buy the app version for the iPad so I can watch the practice and the race and keep the app open for information. I might resort to the free live timing for the Website if it's better but it's not available right now.

The problem with the app is that it's lots of information in all sorts of screens and settings, and worth the subscripton if you're a F-1 junkee, but I couldn't get the information to sort right and the touch commands didn't always work.

Sometimes it's my touch and the iPad don't always work together, but it doesn't work with a iPad pencil. You have to play with it to learn to get the information you want, and sometimes it's just not there, like the team names than the car picture which is too small to distinguish unless you remember who drives for what team.

Anyway, that's my initial impression, which is mostly it's a ripoff to get you to pay twice for the app and the Website subscription. They should find a way to combine the subscriptions so people can choose which to use at any time watching the practice or race.

But then I forget, Bernie Eccelstone is less interested in racing and even less with fans than with making more money because he's part owner of the company which owns the international broadcast rights. Yes, it's about the almighty profit.