Enhance Your Perception of Formula 1

Live Timing - Four Possibilities

Soft Pauers' F1 Timing App on the iPhone

As talked about some time ago, the F1 Timing App by Soft Pauer can increase your way of experiencing Formula 1. The benefit is that, using it, you do not just follow a Formula 1 practice, qualifying or race, but you actually become much more involved by getting lap times and three sector times for each driver and also track positioning, which shows all drivers with their current position on the race track. Last but not least you can use the F1 Timing App not only in live mode, but it enables you to replay any session at your convenience. This allows you to use the F1 Timing App also when watching a previously recorded session on television.

The free 2011 Formula1.com App provides
live timing for many mobile devices

There are also free alternatives to the admittedly pricey F1 Timing App. First of all there is another live timing app for Apple's iOS on the iPhone, iPod and iPad as well as Android devices, Blackberry OS and J2ME (Java Mobile Editon) enabled devices, the 2011 Formula1.com App. Similar to Soft Pauer's F1 Timing App the 2011 Formula1.com App provides live timing including lap times and three sector times. What is missing, though, are track positioning and the possibility for time-delayed viewing. If that is not important to you and you own one of the mentioned devices, there is nothing to be said against the 2011 Formula1.com App.

Free live timing on the Formula.com website

You can also use your laptop or standalone computer to access the free Live Timing on the Formula 1 Website. The only requirements are that both the Java plugin is installed on your computer and that you sign up on the Formula 1 website. Like the 2011 Formula1.com App, live timing with three sector times is provided, but track positioning and support for time-delayed viewing are missing. What is additionally provided, though, is the drivers' speed and current weather conditions.

Live F1 for Linux users

For all Linux users there is another alternative, Live F1, which is a "native Linux client for the official Formula 1 Live Timing service". This means as much as that the programme uses the data provided by the aforementioned Live Timing from the Formula 1 website, but processes the data in order to improve its appearance. Ubuntu users can install the programme through their package manager, the same applies to users of Arch Linux. It should not be too difficult to install Live F1 in other distributions, too.

I have been using the F1 Timing App extensively and, even though not free, in my opinion it is well worth its salt. The track positioning and the possibility to use it while watching a recorded race make it indispensable to me.

But also the 2011 Formula1.com App for mobile devices and the computer-based solutions have their appeal and increase the experience of watching Formula 1 considerably. If track positioning and time-delayed viewing is not on your list, they might just be what you have been looking for
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