The BBC held exclusive UK F1 rights from 2009 until the end of the 2013 season, having regained them from ITV. A new rights deal announced on 29 July 2011 awarded Sky Sports all live races, while the BBC retained half the races live — including the British Grand Prix and the final race — plus highlights of all rounds. In November 2011, Sky confirmed the dedicated F1 channel would launch in March 2012, covering all races live and commercial-free. In December 2015, the BBC ended its broadcast rights three seasons early; Channel 4 subsequently took over the BBC's package of ten live races and highlights.
The channel launched on 9 March 2012, seven days before the 2012 Formula One season opened. The launch broadcast was a two-hour special of The F1 Show, presented by Simon Lazenby, Martin Brundle, and Damon Hill.
Sky Sports broadcast every practice session, qualifying session, and race live from the start. The 2012 season began on 16 March with practice from the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and concluded at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix on 25 November. The 2012 Australian Grand Prix, the first race broadcast exclusively by Sky, averaged 526,000 viewers between 4:30 am and 9 am on 18 March, with a five-minute peak of 1.02 million as Jenson Button won the race. By comparison, the BBC's live coverage of the same race the previous season had averaged 2.13 million viewers.
From 2019, Sky held exclusive rights to all races except the British Grand Prix, which Channel 4 continued to show live under a sub-licensing agreement that also granted Sky free-to-air drama content for its on-demand platforms. In 2021, Sky sub-licensed the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to Channel 4, given that Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were tied on points entering the final race.
Sky Sports won the FIA's "Best TV Broadcast Award for Outstanding Coverage" at both the 2012 and 2013 FIA Prize Giving Ceremonies.
The channel's theme tune for the 2012 season was "Just Drive" by Alistair Griffin, re-recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Rodolfus Choir. The 43-second opening credits featured archive footage from 32 Grands Prix between 1950 and 2011. From the 2019 season onwards, "Just Drive" was replaced by "Outlands" by Daft Punk, which had previously appeared in the film Tron: Legacy (2010). "Outlands" remained Sky F1's main race-coverage theme through the 2025 season. For 2026 it was replaced by "Just Keep Watching" by Tate McRae, a track from the F1 (2025) film soundtrack.
In addition to Formula One, the channel also broadcasts the FIA Formula 2 Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship (formerly GP2 and GP3), F1 Academy, and the Porsche Supercup. IndyCar coverage began with the opening 2012 round, returned in 2019, and has continued since, including the IndyNXT support series. Ferrari Challenge Europe content has aired since 2020, and rounds of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe have been broadcast since 2022.
From the 2016 season, Canadian rights holder TSN began simulcasting Sky's coverage including pre- and post-race programmes and in-race commentary. From 2018 to 2025, ESPN used Sky Sports F1's commentary for its US broadcasts, simulcasting the pre-race show and portions of the post-race show; at least four races per season aired on free-to-air ABC, including Monaco. Following criticism over commercial breaks during the 2018 Australian Grand Prix — at times cutting off commentators mid-sentence — ESPN switched to ad-free race broadcasts with a single presenting sponsor. ESPN+ also carried Welcome to the Weekend and Pit Lane Live from the 2019 season. The simulcast arrangement was credited with raising US ratings, improving domestic sponsorship sales, and increasing virtual advertising uptake on trackside hoardings.
The F1 Show, a weekly magazine programme, was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was initially presented by Georgie Thompson and Ted Kravitz, then by Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham, and from 2014 by Pinkham or Rachel Brookes with contributions from David Croft, Paul di Resta, Anthony Davidson, Johnny Herbert, and Damon Hill. Ted's Notebook (retitled The Notebook for 2020) follows qualifying, sprint, and race programmes. Paddock Uncut is a Thursday pre-race round-up from media day.
Sky Sports operates the "Sky Pad" system, used primarily by Davidson, Karun Chandhok, and Kravitz to display highlights, multiple angles, and comparison footage with overlaid graphics during race weekends.
At the 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Red Bull boycotted Sky Sports F1 interviews following comments by Ted Kravitz claiming Lewis Hamilton was "robbed" of the 2021 drivers' championship while incorrectly calling him "eight-time World Champion". Christian Horner called Kravitz's remarks "the straw that broke the camel's back". Red Bull ended the boycott ahead of the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix.
In September 2024, a pre-recorded segment of Kravitz analysing the Ferrari SF-24 was accidentally aired uncensored, containing an expletive; both Lazenby and Kravitz apologised. Following the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, Kravitz made a joke about George Russell's inability to pass Lando Norris — who was suffering brake problems — in front of Mercedes staff, and apologised immediately. During the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, David Croft was instructed to apologise after Karun Chandhok made an on-air comment deemed blasphemous.
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