Sky picks up from where it left off, confirming even more that it is “The home of engines… and of sport”. In fact, everything is ready for a dizzying season, with over 320 races over 43 weekends and more than 1.600 hours of live programming, of which 400 between studies and features that can be followed both live on Sky (also on the go on Sky Go), and in streaming on NOW, with a selection of events also free-to-air on TV8.
We start again from Formula 1
Strength is undoubtedly the Formula 1. Sky will be the home of Formula 1 exclusively until 2027. On the reference channel Sky Sport F1 (207, also streaming on NOW), 23 Grands Prix scheduled for 2023, including the debut of the night race in Las Vegas and the return of the Qatar Grand Prix. A great result, as the executive vice president of Sky Marzio Perrelli underlined during the press conference: “Sky is 'The home of sport' not by chance: we broadcast 22 disciplines, of which engines are our flagship. If you think of any international competition, which obviously concerns either two or four wheels, you can only find it on Sky. Even better if we think that all this is covered with the power of the Sky touch. By Sky Touch I obviously mean the talent represented by our journalists and the investments that the company makes in technology".
Very confirmed team… with a surprise
Coming precisely to the team that will take care of the season this year, Carlo cannot be missing Vanzini, who will be entrusted with the commentary of the F1 weekend, together with Marc Gene, always ready with updates from the box Ferrari and on the side of the track, and to Roberto Chinchero, in the role of insider in the pits. Federica Masolin she will be the presenter of the pre- and post-race insights of Paddock Live and of the new social section to answer fans' questions before the start of the race, together with Davide Valsecchi. To Matthew Bobbi and his Sky Sport Tech Room will be entrusted with all the technical analyses, while the pit reporter Mara St. George all the interviews on the track and in the paddocks. Also confirmed the appointment of every race Sunday with Race Anatomy F1 conducted by Fabio Tavelli.
Sky Sport F1, the big news of 2023
It didn't end there. There are in fact other great news: the first concerns one new entry in the Sky F1 team, or Ivan Capelli, who will bring his ex-rider and technical commentator skills to the analysis of some of the season's GPs. “Being here really is a beautiful emotion. It's a bit like coming home – declared during the Capelli conference – just as on Saturday returning to comment on the tests with Carlo was like the first day of school. We worked well and it was very nice, considering that many teams started pushing on Saturday."
To enrich even more the vast program is the new social column on the morning of the race with Federica Masolin and Davide Valsecchi. The coverage of the areas of interest also increases on the track. In fact, from this year Sky will have a privileged line with some Team Principals who will be able to intervene directly on the news from their pit lane walls.
MotoGp, space for new sections combined with continuity
La MotoGp instead he inaugurates 2023 immediately with a change, relating his new musical identity. In fact, he continues the friendly collaboration with Jovanotti who, together with Guido Meda, identified in the song "It looks good for you” the new MotoGP acronym. Space for one too new column "I start in fourth", with Fabio Quartararo who will tell us about the track, the characteristics of the bike combined with his being a rider and anecdotes about his career. "We are talking about a transversal character”said the deputy director of Sky Sport and head of engines Guido Buoy, obviously very confirmed in the comment. Mauro cannot be missing with him Sanchini. The Moto2 and Moto3 commentary will be entrusted to Rosario Triol and Matthias Pasini, who will alternate with Federico Aliverti in case of sporting commitments. Vera Swords will conduct the Paddock Live Show pre- and post-race insights, while Sandro Donato Grosso and Antonio Boselli will be sent for updates and interviews from the pits. Of course it won't be missing RaceAnatomy MotoGP, hosted by Cristiana Buonamano at the end of each post-gp. Edoardo Vercellesi and Max Temporali tell the story of the Superbike.
The most important change
The biggest news in MotoGP, however, is linked to the format of the weekend, which this year is characterized by the presence of Sprint Race. We're talking about a mini-race that will take place on Saturday afternoon, eliminating FP4 and instead moving qualifying to Saturday morning. The surprise also concerns Sky, with the Sprint Races of Portugal, Argentina, USA, Spain, France and Italy will also be free-to-air on TV8.
Not just F1 and MotoGP
However, Sky is not only the home of the two top four- and two-wheeler championships. In fact, there will be many races to follow this year with the highly confirmed ones Formula E and Indycar. Also not to be missed are the endurance races, with the FIA World Endurance Championship which will start on March 11 from Sebring and which will see the return to the top class of the Ferrari 499P driven among others by Antonio Giovinazzi, and with the highlights of the most important event on the calendar: the 24h of Le Mans. Great anticipation also for the 10 stages of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe, the endurance championship dedicated to grand tourers which will start on April 22, in Monza, with Valentino Rossi at the wheel of the WRT team's BMW M4 GT3. Without forgetting the championships dthe F2, F3,
Ferrari Challenge for four wheels and the CIV for two wheels.
Sky, very important social growth
Mind-boggling numbers too in the social sphere for Sky, both for Formula 1 and for MotoGP, with more than 206 million page views (+52% on 2021), with a peak of 7,9 million visits for Formula 1 in July and 2 million in October for MotoGP. The official social accounts of @SkySportF1 and @SkySportMotoGP (Ig, Fb, Twitter, Youtube and TikTok) they continue to represent the social reference point for engines in Italy thanks to live coverage of an ever-widening audience. In 2022 the social profiles of F1 and MotoGP totaled 113 million interactions, a figure up 17% compared to 2021, 360 million were instead the video views also in new formats: Reels/TikTok and Shorts. Numbers that contribute to maintaining the Sky social properties dedicated to engines in the first places in Italy.
Sky, scary schedule. All that remains is to leave
The new motor season officially started today Sky, full of novelties and above all of pure entertainment. Buckle up, because this is just the beginning.
