Streaming Formula
Problem Statement
The biggest most iconic motorsport since its birth in 1950, Formula 1 has gathered massive fame in recent years through Netflix's "Drive to Survive" and social media expansion. However, F1's recent growth has hit a plateau with younger viewers who find the weekend format lengthy and boring. While F1 Director Stefano Domenicali proposes structural changes that face driver and fan backlash, I suggest changing how we experience the sport, not the sport itself.
826.5M
Global Fanbase
(+12% in 2024)
97M
Social Media
Followers (from 70.5M)
15%
F1TV Subscriber
Growth (2024)
Project Scope
UX Lead
Designer
Position
2 Months: Research & Design Library
Stages
Motosport, Streaming, B2C
Industry
Old Interface
F1's TV feed telemetry has evolved dramatically over 30 years and looks stunning, but there's a disconnect with F1TV's video player. The experience feels like watching an IMAX film on an outdated streaming platform—great content held back by poor delivery.
Solution
A novel interactive UI that connects telemetry data directly to viewers, letting them fully engage with live leaderboards and customize their experience. This makes practices, races, and entire weekends more engaging without changing the race format.
Redesigned Version
Research
This project was research-driven. I conducted a heuristic evaluation as a long-term user, then gathered insights from experienced friends through targeted questions. Key findings included making the main driver banner interactive rather than static.
Areas for Improvement
Visibility of System Status
Switching Feeds
Warning Messages
Others
Component Based
From the start, I built everything with components and utilized Figma's component properties like booleans and instance swaps. This made every screen easy to customize, streamlined my workflow, and would ensure consistent, developer-friendly handoffs.
What was redesigned?
Drivers' POV
Watch the race from any driver's point of view with their onboard camera feed.
Drivers' Data
View live driver statistics including lap times, tire age, gaps, and position changes.
Track Positions
Pop out the racetrack to see real-time driver positions on the circuit.
FIA Announcements
Old FIA Announcement
Redesign
I also repositioned FIA warning signs to eliminate visual clutter while keeping critical race information clear and immediately accessible.
Technical Implementation Overview
Core Technology Stack:
HTML5 video player with overlay capabilities
WebSocket connections for real-time F1 timing data
Responsive CSS using viewport units for cross-device scaling
JavaScript event handling for interactive elements
Key Technical Challenges Addressed:
Synchronization: Aligning live stream with real-time data updates
Responsive Design: Proportional scaling across all screen sizes
Performance: Real-time updates without affecting video quality
Cost Comparison
Final Thoughts
While Formula 1 debates costly structural changes, the problem isn't what's happening on track—it's how viewers experience it. This redesign costs a fraction of proposed restructuring while being reversible and scalable. Let's work with what we have before changing what works.
This project holds special significance for me given F1's personal impact. There's a troubling trend of changing iconic elements—like Monaco—simply because some find them "boring." We shouldn't alter tradition purely for entertainment or efficiency.
We need balance. Let's find solutions that don't threaten what makes the sport special. Part of racing's excitement comes from contrast—the slow parts make the fast parts thrilling. You can't have a track of only straights; you need turns too. Otherwise, we'd just become IndyCar.
Part of innovating is knowing what not to change.