Written by Lorenzo Baer, Edited by Dhara Dave
Part 1: The early experiments
In the first segment of DIVEBOMB’s two-part series about onboard cams in Formula 1, we cover the pioneering studies in this field, from the extremely suggestive and dangerous broadcasting concepts for the category in the early 1950s to the first practical experiments with helmet cams in the late 1970s.
Introduction
One of the most overlooked elements when it comes to discussing the evolution of Formula 1 is that of onboard cameras. For those born in the 1980s or later, the angles of these cams are almost as familiar as side-track or helicopter shots, elements common to any broadcast of the category.
But this is a recent phenomenon, with its first practical solutions found in the last four decades. In their early years, good-quality film cameras were large, clumsy objects and were not designed to be movable at all, let alone being attached to single-seater open-wheelers travelling at speeds over 250 km/h.
The progressive miniaturisation of electronic components through the decades, with the evolution of microchips and other technologies, brought great benefits to F1 broadcasts. The audience became increasingly closer to the drivers, not only through interviews and reports but also through impressive onboard camera angles and improved image quality.
By the early 90s, it was already possible to take a spin alongside the motorsport aces around the straights and bends of circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, due to the advent of live camera links, and this feeling of proximity to the action has become increasingly real as new advances in the field of cinematography became constant in recent years.
So, the evolution of onboard cameras in F1 was, like the development of many technologies in the series, a process of trial and error, culminating in technological leaps that forever changed how F1 is viewed and experienced worldwide nowadays.
1950: The first trials
The first attempts to insert cameras into F1 cars were made in parallel with the beginning of the category, in the early 1950s. It is easy to imagine that in its infancy such devices would have been extremely large and cumbersome, considering the sheer size of the video cameras of the time.
Since the technology of portable high-quality cameras attached to vehicles was still crawling, experiments in this field led to a series of absurd ideas, including videographers being tied to the hood or equilibrating themselves on the rear parts of F1 cars, looking for angles that represented the driver's point-of-view.
Luckily, such concepts were not widely used, and a slightly safer solution was preferred. Improvised frames made of metal tubes, wood and other easily accessible materials, together with a 16mm camera, formed some of the first cockpit cams in the category.
The main consequence of these arrangements was the added weight, which easily exceeded 110lb (50kg). This completely interfered with the tenuous balance of the F1 cars of the time, which could barely afford to carry any weight above what was strictly necessary.
Therefore, the use of these heavy and bulky cameras in racing situations was inconceivable simply because miniaturised onboard video technology was still a thing of the future in the 1950s. Thus, the classic “onboard cameras” mounted on F1 cars at the time were often used in free practice sessions, to generate promotional or educational videos about the category.
1960: Hollywood in F1?
The 1960s saw a more widespread proliferation of camera cars and cockpit cams in F1. Although they did not yet reach the level of refinement of the following decades, it was during the 1960s that the first serious experiments with the use of onboard cameras during races were attempted.
This includes the famous 1966 film "Grand Prix", which covered the F1 races and paddocks in a dramatic way. In addition to providing a brand new angle to the competitive racing environment, the picture was a great contributor to this process of evolution of onboard recording devices, including cameras.
Although it was a Hollywood production, the impacts of this film permeated the F1 organisation itself, as many of the scenes in the movie were filmed with real drivers on real tracks during real events of the season. A revolution, besides something practically unattempted up until that point in F1.
However, there was still a need to further improve the video technology given that such equipment, as in the 1950s, was still purely an adaptation, with improvisations that would shock and distress any current F1 driver.
Also, the Super Panavision 70 cameras used in most of the recordings were large and heavy and proved to be extremely costly to the cars' performance.
This could be clearly seen in the times recorded by Phil Hill, in some fast laps that the driver did in parallel with the filming cuts, throughout the season. Hill, an ex-F1 champion and seasoned driver, was 10 seconds slower than the pole in Monaco, and an incredible 20 seconds off the pace in Spa-Francorchamps.
1970: Steps into the right direction
The early-mid 1970s saw a significant stagnation in the evolution of camera technology installed in F1 cars. This was not due to a lack of desire to evolve in this field, but mainly due to the major developments in engineering and design that would mark this decade.
In other words, video technology simply could not keep up with the changes that were taking place in F1 cars, which became much more robust and complex machines than the vehicles of the previous decades.
Thus, bizarre and outdated technologies were still being used to produce some onboard videos restricted to testing and training sessions, aimed almost exclusively at institutional or promotional videos.
Cameras were still large and cumbersome, and to mount them on F1 cars, they still used the adapted structures made of tubes, now erected mainly at the rear of the car, above the rear axles and the engine.
Despite this, the late years of the decade were marked by some important experiments in the area of on-board cameras. During the 1978 French GP, former driver Jackie Stewart drove a Renault F1 car equipped with a set of special cameras during the formation lap of the race. This was one of the first experiments of its kind carried out independently by a team, without the support of a studio or the FIA.
In 1979, Tyrrell driver Derek Daly tested one of the first “practical” examples of a helmet cam in F1, with a camera fixed between his helmet and the frame of the car, on the right side of his head. Despite its ingenuity, the project was scrapped after just a few tests, due to electrical problems in the system.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series: The consolidation of technology.
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