So, 9 races in, almost halfway, lets compare BBC v Sky.

First of all I must say it is absolutely fantastic that we have TWO channels with F1 here in the UK. I have Sky so it didn’t affect me as much as some others when the deal was announced last year.

Picture/Sound quality (HD): Sky > BBC. As Dave B has alluded to in another thread, the Silverstone roar was much more audible on Sky (and I was at the GP, it was loud!) whereas BBC you couldn’t quite hear it.
Special features: BBC > Sky. Quite a close one, but the BBC’s relaxed manner wins out, my fave being Jenson & Lewis trying to do their jobs!
Overall channel/additional input: Sky > BBC. A dedicated channel has been a godsend. Old races, season reviews, special features, support races, legends interviews, additional coverage and multiple chances to watch highlights give Sky a big thumbs up. The F1 forum is excellent and the BBC do a good job with what they have, but with the resources of a dedicated channel, Sky wins out.

On to the teams:

Humphrey vs Lazenby: BBC > Sky. Jake has a comfortable edge, Lazenby at times is cringeworthy such as in Barcelona when the pit fire happened, he was just reeling off speculative events “we’ve just heard that a man came out with his legs on fire” is something that should be not be said by a sports presenter. Decent effort from Sky, but Lazenby needs to improve.
DC/EJ vs DH/JH: BBC > Sky. Quite comfortably DC & EJ as the analysers to Jake, Damon is not bad but Johnny Herbert is poor and reminds me too much of Blundell. If I was Sky, I would work hard to persuade Jacques Villeneuve to come on permanently, as he is the “says what he thinks” character they need.
Croft vs Edwards Sky > BBC. I am surprised by this as I didn’t like Croft prior to this seasn, but he sounds more natural as lead commentator of F1 to me, Ben a close second, vast improvement over Legard /Allen!
Brundle vs Coulthard. Sky > BBC. Brundle makes me watch the Sky coverage during the race, he is still fantastic at his job. DC isn’t bad, but he just isn’t quick enough to read a race like Brundle does, with his dry wit along the way.
McKenzie vs Pinkham. BBC > Sky. Quite easily McKenzie. I like to see women in F1, but they need to not play up to a stereotype of “flirty attitude” towards F1 drivers. Lee McKenzie is fantastic at not doing that while still getting the information out of the drivers. Pinkham flirts uncomfortably, especially with Paul di Resta.
Anderson vs Kravitz. BBC > Sky. A close one, Kravtiz hasn’t done much wrong, but Anderson’s technical knowledge is second to none.

Georgie Thompson/Anthony Davidson – not real point in them being there, they do not add anything to the coverage. Davidson, along with McNish and Chandhok, represents a dedicedly average F1 driver judging much better drivers.

Overall then

BBC 5 Sky 4 - A very close call!

What does everybody else think?