Silverstone, Spa and Suzuka all star in “The Greatest Track on Earth”, created by Sky Sports, Formula 1® fans and AI

• Sky Sports polled sports fans on their dream Formula 1® track and ultimate driver ahead of the 2024 season
• With fans voting in their thousands to have their say, AI has brought to life their favourite straights, corners and chicanes
• Lewis Hamilton (28%) was picked to be in the driver’s seat to manoeuvre all the twists and turns of the track
• The Greatest Track features the legendary Parabolica from Monza as well as epic landmarks like the iconic Suzuka ferris wheel in Japan

To celebrate the start of the 2024 Formula 1® season, Sky Sports polled over 4,000 fans on their favourite straights, turns and landmarks from iconic racing locations around the globe to create the ultimate F1® track.

Ahead of the season opener in Bahrain on Sunday (2 March) exclusively live on Sky Sports and streaming service NOW, cutting-edge AI technology has brought the track to life which features sections associated with some of the most memorable moments in F1® history, from the Swimming Pool chicane and Grand Hotel hairpin turn in Monaco,  to the Senna ‘S’ at Interlagos in Brazil.

With Lewis Hamilton set to depart Mercedes for Ferrari after this season, fans selected the joint-record holding seven-time World Champion, as the ultimate driver in his 2015-2020 Mercedes, a car that won five consecutive titles, to navigate the challenging circuit.

Racing fans also voted on the famous landmarks they would like to feature around The Greatest Track, with the Observation Tower at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (48%) and the instantly recognisable Suzuka ferris wheel in Japan (48%) topping the poll.

Sky Sports’ electrifying track gives fans the opportunity to experience the spectacle of Formula 1® like never before, with the circuit winding its way through the narrow castle section in Baku (Azerbaijan), as Mount Fuji and torii (Japan) are pictured towering in the distance.

Designed using the most popular fan selections, the track comprises of 10 different circuits that encapsulate the global nature of the sport, with the legendary Eau Rouge of Spa, in Belgium and the uphill climb of Circuit of the Americas’ first straight forming part of the dream track. And, as AI clearly has a sense of humour, Silverstone is displayed in the pouring rain, but with the revered RAF Red Arrows flying overhead to bring some colour to a typical dreary British summer day.

As Lewis Hamilton will no doubt soon experience, the Tifosi bring the passion, so it comes as no surprise Italian fans (39%) were in pole position when people were asked about which nation would bring the most noise and colour to The Greatest Track, with Brits (28%) coming second and the Dutch (11%) ranking high in third.

Speaking about the track, F1® World Champion and current Sky Sports analyst, Jenson Button said: “The best things about Formula 1 are the passionate fans, the variety of circuits across the globe and the demands each one brings, so for Sky Sports to have used AI to design the ultimate track really does get the imagination racing.

“I would have loved the opportunity to compete on this track as it combines many of the things that make F1 the most unique sport in the world – the glamour of Monaco, the speed of Monza and not forgetting the unpredictable weather of Spa!”

The 6km track combines real-world imagery and, with the help of AI creative platform Midjourney, more fantastical and computer enhanced elements. As well as the hyper realistic images, Sky Sports has created a spectacular drive-through video, with the footage following a Formula 1® car navigating the track alongside the voice of F1® in David Croft.

The Greatest Track is set to get engines revving ahead of the new season, with the full track comprising the following elements:

• Straight into turn 1 – Circuit of the Americas, United States
• Parabolica – Monza, Italy
• Acque Minerali – Imola, Italy
• Swimming Pool – Monaco
• Grand Hotel Hairpin – Monaco
• Eau Rouge into Raidillon – Spa, Belgium
• Kemmel Straight – Spa, Belgium
• Castle Section – Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan
• Maggots, Becketts, Chapel Curve – Silverstone, United Kingdom
• Esses – Suzuka, Japan
• Brabham, Jones – Melbourne, Australia
• The Senna ’S’ – Interlagos, Brazil
• T14 to finish line – Interlagos, Brazil

Sky Sports is the home of F1® in the UK & Ireland as it brings fans 24 action-packed races from across the most glamorous and iconic destinations around the world. The first F1® race weekend of the 2024 season is live and exclusive on Sky Sports F1® & NOW from Thursday, 29th February.

About the research

This online survey comprised 2,055 Sports fans (including 1,459 F1® fans) from the UK & Republic of Ireland (nationally representative) and was commissioned by Sky Sports and conducted by market research company BF Media, in accordance with UK Market Research Society (MRS) code of conduct (2023).

Data was collected between 10/01/2024 and 17/01/2024.

BF Media is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and complies with the DPA (2018)
In addition, Sky Sports spoke to its core F1® fan base across its social channels - including Instagram, X and Sky Sports F1® YouTube Community. A total of 2,033 fans responded to the survey. Data was collected between 08/01/2024 and 10/01/204.

About the creative process

Once the fans had had their say, Sky Sports digital designers used specific prompts in generative AI creative platform Midjourney to visualise how the greatest track might look.

Those AI images were then mapped onto a realistic version of the track as it would exist in the real world and a team of 3D designers, visual FX designers & artworkers created an animation based on those fantasy AI Images.

About Sky

Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies and is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments and experiences that matter. At Sky we Believe in Better. It’s in our DNA.

We’re famous for innovation. We offer the world’s smartest TV, Sky Glass; our plug and play streaming puck, Sky Stream; the best aggregation platform, Sky Q: the best aggregation platform, Sky Q; and streaming services NOW and WOW. We provide connectivity you can count on in mobile, fast, secure, reliable residential and business broadband, as well as smart home protection through Sky Protect.

We’re Europe’s premium content producer. We create award-winning original content, produce the biggest live sporting events, and we provide free access to news and the arts. Our new state-of-the-art film and TV studio Sky Studios Elstree is projected to attract £3 billion of new production investment to the UK in its first five years and create up to 2,000 jobs.

We are a diverse and inclusive employer that has a positive impact on society and the communities that we work and live in. Sky plays a major role in the UK’s cultural economy and, in 2022 alone, supported a contribution of £20 billion to UK GDP, broadcast 70,000 hours of elite sports coverage and invested over £130 million to provide news to consumers free of charge.

How to watch the season on NOW

Non-Sky customers can stream Sky Sports F1 with a NOW Sports Membership, with access to highlights of previous races and on demand F1 shows including documentaries and analysis.

NOW Sports Month members will also be able to access additional live F1 feeds via the NOW app – including all 20 onboard driver cameras and team radio – for every race, sprint, qualifying and practice session this season.