The Australian Grand Prix opened up the 2025 Formula 1 season in some style with a chaotic race, with Lando Norris was able to drive flawlessly throughout the weekend to take the victory ahead of Max Verstappen. However, for the viewers on Australian TV, they were left very disappointed with the coverage from the Albert Park circuit.
The opening race of the season in Melbourne saw many spectacular moments: The slide of home favourite Oscar Piastri, knocking him down from P2 to P9. The crash of Australian Jack Doohan. A spin by Charles Leclerc. The wrong gamble with Ferrari's tyres for Lewis Hamilton. Liam Lawson ending up in the wall. There were many to choose from.
However, all these moments have something in common: viewers in Australia did not see them during the live broadcast. That is because, during those very moments, Channel Ten (and also streaming platform 10Play) went to an advertisement break.
Australian TV viewers not happy
In the UK, Sky Sports offers uninterrupted coverage of every single session during a Grand Prix weekend, meaning viewers do not miss any of the on-track action. In the Netherlands, Viaplay has been under fire for years for - in the eyes of subscribers - excessively high subscription prices, poor picture quality and, since this Formula 1 season, advertising during broadcasts, like Channel Ten.
On social media, as a result of the adverts on the Australian channel, there were a huge amount of complaints that were posted. "Channel Ten.... WTF is up with that commercial when all sorts of things happen in the last 10 laps and everyone comes into the pits," someone wrote. Another viewer reported, "Channel Ten coverage of Melbourne F1 is 10% action, 10% talk from people who have no idea what F1 is, and 80% advertising."
This article was created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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