Formula 1’s new gyro camera adds a Dutch angle to the Dutch Grand Prix

/

F1 has been testing out gyroscopic cameras to make in-car views more dynamic.

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Picture of a Formula 1 car driving on a track.

Formula 1 racer Lando Norris in Bahrain in 2022.
Photo: Hasan Bratic / Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Formula 1 broadcast footage from the Dutch Grand Prix qualifiers at Circuit Zandvoort this weekend that was captured by a gyro camera system mounted above the helmet of the weekend’s race winner, Lando Norris.

The camera, which F1 has been testing since 2022, was conceived with an eye particularly toward accentuating exaggerated angles of banked turns at Zandvoort, but despite using it there last year, F1 wasn’t able to broadcast it, according to AutoSport.

Many F1 fans on social media praised the broadcasts from Norris’ car, saying things like that it helped “really see the banking,” or that it should be on all of the cars. Others thought it ruined the perception of speed or worried that it could contribute to motion sickness.

Dino Leone, Formula 1’s head of onboard camera operations, explained in a recent video that the camera allows for on-the-fly adjustments to increase or decrease the gyroscopic effect. Formula 1 used the camera in some 2023 races, such as in Brazil and Japan, and plans to use it more often this year.

Go to Source