Kayo Sports’ ‘phenomenal’ solution to 4am F1 nightmare with Kayo minis

Formula One’s popularity is skyrocketing and a streaming service’s innovative move is saving Aussie fans from a headache.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 28: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren walks in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 28, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

It’s never been a better time to be a Formula One fan.

The iconic motorsport has gained a whole new legion of fans in recent years and Australians are tuning in to watch F1 like never before.

Sky Sports’ coverage of every practice session, qualifying and race is available to stream on Kayo Sports, which has seen viewership skyrocket in the last financial year.

Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Collective viewing minutes of F1 on Kayo, which has about 1.3 million subscribers, have increased 51 per cent.

According to the recent Sensor Tower report, Kayo was the top downloaded sports app and is on par with the likes of Netflix, Uber and Spotify, and is outperforming most entertainment apps for revenue in Australia.

Kayo, owned by News Corp, the publisher of news.com.au, has also seen significant increases in viewership of Kayo Minis — the condensed highlight packages F1 fans are consuming en masse the morning after a late-night race.

For technology expert and F1 mega fan Trevor Long, Kayo minis are the perfect solution for F1 fans who don’t want to watch full races that have unfriendly time zones such as the Saudi Arabian, Canadian and US grands prix, which start at 4am or 5am AEST.

“I think the great thing is we’ve now got a sport that can be followed by people that aren’t just fanatics,” Long told news.com.au.

“People like me will always watch the races 100 per cent live but plenty of people love Formula 1, love the basics of the sport and don’t want to spend two hours watching a race, let alone in the middle of the night.

Catch up on Daniel Ricciardo’s race every weekend with the Kayo Mini. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

“Whether it’s a mini, a small highlights or a full race replay, it’s the idea of whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want.”

“As someone who is in his mid-40s and grew up watching F1 when it was available just quickly at night with Aussies commentating through the race, we get access to — it would be probably six or seven hours of live coverage every weekend.

“Every practice session, every qualifying, every race. It’s literally phenomenal to realise that we have blanket access to the sport we love.

“If you’re up for Japan in the afternoon, great. But if you’re not such a fan of somewhere else in the middle of the night, just get up in the morning and watch the mini.

“And when you get to work, the water cooler talk, or when you jump on to social media, you can take part in the conversation as if you watched it live, but all you had to do was watch a mini.”

Minis are so popular among viewers, Kayo reports next day viewing for races starting early on Monday mornings such as Saudi Arabia sees five times increased audiences from the race itself.

Max Verstappen is running away with this year’s championship. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

F1 on is currently on its summer break and Long believes it’s the perfect time to relive the chaotic British Grand Prix, which was Kayo’s most watched race of the season so far.

“I love the idea of a mini as a recap because some of us don’t have the best memories in the world,” said Long, who hosts the EFTM podcast, which recaps every race immediately after it’s finished.

“So you’re thinking, ‘What did happen last race? Or even last year?’ The idea of refreshing the memory, we’re coming through a four-week break. It might be nice to reflect on a couple of races.

“I was looking at a couple of stats thinking Silverstone was the most watched Grand Prix, I’m going to watch that back but I might just watch the mini.”

“Look, the sport is exciting. So whether you’re a mega fan or not, you can reflect on stuff without having to spend hours watching.”

Max Verstappen is currently 80 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship, while Red Bull is also leading the constructors’ standings.

The F1 season resumes after the mid-season break at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday 28 August at 11pm (AEST).