F1 reveals how its cinematic drone cameras captured the Austrian GP action

Formula 1 has released behind-the-scenes footage showing how its new high-speed drone cameras were operated during the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, where George Russell took his second victory of the season ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.

The footage reveals that the drones were flown trackside alongside the on-track action rather than directly above the cars — a safety precaution in case a drone fails and falls onto the live circuit. Despite that constraint, the machinery produced some of the most talked-about broadcast images of the weekend.

Fans were quick to respond on social media, with many singling out a sequence capturing the battle between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. “That drone shot on Max and Lewis battling was pure f***ing gold,” one viewer wrote. Another praised the overall aesthetic: “The camera shots are quite cinematic and exciting to watch.”

Not everyone was fully convinced, however. Several viewers raised concerns about motion sickness and image stability during live transmission. “It’s way too unstable and dizzying for live feed,” one fan wrote, while another argued the footage would be better suited to edited replays than real-time broadcast. “It captured some amazing shots but those would have been better if it was just cut and edited with proper resolution, not the live feed limit, with the wonky movements cut out.”

One commenter offered a more technical perspective, noting that the 360-degree drone format was never designed for high-speed live broadcast and suggesting AI-assisted stitching with a short delay could improve the output in future. “It’s possible the 360 feed can be stitched and processed by AI with only a few seconds delay, if not now then soon,” they wrote.

Drones are not new to Formula 1 coverage — the first FPV drone appeared during the live broadcast of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, carrying what appeared to be a GoPro camera. The Austrian Grand Prix footage represents a visible step forward in quality, though fan reaction suggests further refinement is still on the agenda. “Little bit of refinement and this will be excellent. I really like the addition,” one Reddit user noted, capturing the broadly optimistic but measured mood around the initiative.