Written by Lorenzo Baer, Edited by Dhara Dave
Part 2: The consolidation of technology
In the second part of DIVEBOMB’s special about the evolution of onboard cams in F1, we discuss how this technology became an almost ubiquitous feature of all categories’ broadcasts from the 1980s onwards, and the evolution towards increasingly sophisticated broadcasting methods that now places the viewer side-by-side with the drivers in the cockpit of an F1 car.
1980: The breakthrough
The 1980s were a turning point in onboard video technology in F1. Although live video transmissions from cars had been around since 1979, when the Bathurst 1000 and the Daytona 500 were the first to feature vehicles equipped with live camera links, this technology took a few more years to make its way into F1.
It all started in 1982, when Denis Johnson, a well-known sports video producer, was granted by Bernie Ecclestone, president of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), the possibility of testing "onboard" TV cameras with live links in F1. Bernie was also fundamental to Johnson in another aspect of the project, opening the doors to Brabham, a team owned by Ecclestone himself so that these first experiments could be carried out.
After a period of testing, a prototype of the technology was presented in 1983. Weighing just over 7 kg, the set included a standard camera, installed above the top air intake, and a live signal transmitter, fixed to the underside of the car, in front of the right radiator air intake.
Nelson Piquet was invited to test the new equipment in a private practice session in Monza and despite the reasonable success of the experiment, it ended up not being adopted by Brabham, due to financial and political constraints.
In 1984, Johnson transferred his research to Renault, which, in partnership with the French tech company Thomson, was interested in continuing the experiments, seeing the enormous potential that such a device could have as a means of promoting the brand in the coming years.
Refining the project throughout the year, in 1985 the team finally presented the first modern concept of what would later come to be known as live on-board cams.
With a camera array mounted on the right side of the air intake of a Renault RE60, the set would undergo its first real test during the 1985 German Grand Prix. Driven by François Hesnault, this car had the honour of being the first F1 vehicle to have a live image link, generating the first videos of a driver in action during a GP in the category.
Although a gearbox problem took Hesnault out of the race eight laps after the start, the driver would go down in history as the protagonist of one of the most remarkable, even though forgotten moments of F1.
1990: The debut of the digital age
The 1990s heralded the great changes that were to come in the world, especially in terms of communication and image potential.
Since the introduction of live cameras by Renault, major developments affected the production of live content from F1 cars, with cameras progressively shrinking in size and weight (with specimens weighing less than 1kg by now), as the quality of broadcasts progressively improved, with F1 moving from the analogue to the digital era.
This has allowed for more creative and efficient solutions to be adopted to house such mechanisms, such as inserting cameras inside the upper air intake, or in aerodynamic barbettes, usually placed on the sides of the air intake or on the rear wing of the car.
However, in 1995, teams such as Ferrari, Jordan and McLaren pioneered a new alternative for placing these devices: attaching them to the top of the vehicle, above the engine covers. This arrangement offered significant advantages, providing an excellent vantage point for the cameras while minimally affecting the aero drag of the vehicles.
Although they did not initially have official names, these devices would soon come to be universally known as T-Cams, especially from 1998 onwards, when these devices changed from a simple I-shaped fairing to a much more aerodynamic T-shaped one.
It would also be this year that the technology became mandatory by the FIA on all F1 cars, despite many vehicles running with mock-up and dummy cameras throughout the season. This was mainly due to the newness of the technology and the insufficient number of video recorders to equip all cars on the grid.
For the 1999 season, this problem was finally solved, with the T-Cam finally becoming a traditional element on all F1 cars since then.
2000s: New angles for a ‘new’ F1
The spread of T-Cams and their constant improvement over the following years, with the introduction of technologies such as HD and 4K transmissions, would seem to be the pinnacle of the evolution of onboard cameras in the category.
However, there is always room for further developments in the sport, and many of them have found their answers in the category's past.
Seeking inspiration to cover the category from new angles, the F1 organization, in partnership with the teams, began to explore the possibility of reviving the idea of helmet cams.
After Tyrrell's tests in the late 1970s, the development of the technology practically stalled, with the last serious attempt to introduce helmet cams in the category being made by Mark Blundell, at the 1994 Belgian GP.
With the miniaturization of electronics and cameras, advanced helmet cams were once again considered in early 2020, with the project taking more concrete contours in 2021, when some drivers, including Fernando Alonso and George Russell, tested the “Driver's Eye” cam, which inserted a small camera inside the drivers' helmets, in the same level as their eyes.
The 2021 prototypes evolved into a more definitive model for the following year. Developed by Racing Force, the well-known manufacturer of Bell F1 helmets, they had a diameter of 8 mm and weighed 2.5 grams, fitted between the lining and the helmet shell, so as not to obstruct the driver's field of vision.
The technology gained wide publicity during the 2022 F1 Championship, and was quickly appraised by the public, as a result, for the 2023 season, the technology became mandatory for all cars and drivers in the category.
Alongside the development of the “Driver’s Eye”, another technology was beginning to spark interest among teams: the “Gyro Cam”. Although the name suggests that the camera is equipped with a gyroscope, in order to reflect the angles and inclinations of certain racetracks, this is not in fact the reality.
Combining a series of G-Force sensors, a pre-programmed circuit memory and a manually controlled tilt, the camera simulates the variations of the track, relaying this sensation to the viewer.
The project underwent a series of tests in 2022, making its official debut in F1 during the 2023 season. Despite receiving mixed reviews, due to its artificial nature, the “Gyro Cam” proposal moved forward, receiving further refinements during the 2024 F1 Championship.
The 2025 season is expected to be a defining one for this latest onboard camera technology, with expectations that the “Gyro Cam” might become standard equipment for 2026, when the new F1 regulations come into effect.
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