The Official Review of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Official Review of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship Blu-ray Movie Review

Zoom zooooooom.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 11, 2015

For American audiences accustomed to American sports where college and pro teams rarely travel out of the country (beyond Canada, at least), it might seem a bit of a shock to learn that Formula One racing isn't a localized, even continental event but rather a global phenomenon. Where America's favorite four-wheeled sport -- NASCAR -- travels only to places like Daytona, Florida; Fort Worth, Texas; and Watkins Glen, New York; the globetrotting F1 racers suit up in places like Melbourne, Australia; Hockenheim, Germany; and even Austin, Texas to put their cars to the test rand stretch their abilities to the max. The 2014 season spanned five continents -- icy Antarctica and sweltering Africa were the only ones excluded from the schedule -- and saw a number of exciting races throughout the world, races that would include redesigned cars and drivers out to prove their "constructors" -- the car manufacturers -- are the best around.

Who will emerge victorious?

F1 superstar Sebastian Vettel and Team Red Bull had dominated the F1 scene for four years, securing championships from 2010-2013. But 2014 wasn't the same-old, same-old for the F1 world. The new year brought with it a slew of new car specifications for engine mechanics and electronic components alike. It was dubbed "the biggest shake-up for a generation" and made the pre-season trials all the more demanding on not only the drivers but all the support crews, engineers, and manufacturers. One of the big questions at the beginning of the season, then, was whether the Red Bull team and Vettel's Renault could keep the momentum going under the new guidelines or whether another driver and manufacturer -- like 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes -- could seize the opportunity to return to top form. Add in a few new superficial details, like every driver now assigned an identifying number between 2-99, and the stage was set for a season that would come down to the wire in the year's final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 23.

2014 FIA Formula One World Championship presents audiences with a detailed and sometimes lightning-quick summary of the season, beginning with a complex examination of the new car mechanics and moving on to many of the intricacies involving each race. For the diehard fan, this will prove an exhilarating recap, and the level of specific detail proves superior to many American end-of-season sports releases that largely gloss over everything but the "championship game(s)," with several NFL and NBA releases probably the best comparisons. And for such an in-depth venture, this program never loses steam. Whether focusing on complicated race details or more tangible and accessible bits like the effects of bad weather, crashes, fires, or controversies on the racers, the cars, and the season, 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship retains an enthusiasm and even-keeled approach that results in an often breathless recap of one of the most interesting seasons F1 has seen in recent years.

The 2014 year recap is sub-divided into each of the season's 19 rounds, all selectable from disc one's main menu. Below is a listing of the season breakdown.

• 2014 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.
• 2014 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix.
• 2014 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
• 2014 Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand Prix.
• Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Pirelli 2014.
• Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2014.
• Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada 2014.
• Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Österreich 2014.
• 2014 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix.
• Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander Von Deutschland 2014.
• Formula 1 Pirelli Magyar Nagydíj 2014.
• 2014 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix.
• Formula 1 Gran Premio D'Italia 2014.
• 2014 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.
• 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
• 2014 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix.
• 2014 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
• Formula 1 Grande Prêmio Petrobras Do Brasil 2014.
• 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Official Review of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

2014 FIA Formula One World Championship's 1080i, 1.78:1-framed transfer isn't much of a looker, but it gets the job done. Though close-ups are adequately crisp and detailed, the image largely leaves much to be desired beyond the sharpness with which it displays decals, tires, pavement, and grass. Overall, the image is a bit digital flat and lacks definition even at medium distance. Far distant shots, particularly of crowds, often dissolve into an undefined sea of generalized shape and color. Colors are likewise satisfactory up-tight. Uniforms, decals, flags in the stands, grass along the edges, and other little bits are nicely vibrant. A touch of bleeding is visible in a few spots, however, and brighter, lighter colors -- skies in particular -- often look blown out and undefined. Black levels don't factor too deeply into the program as far as shadows and low-light footage are concerned. Skin tones appear normal. The image does suffer from quite a bit of aliasing, uneven straight lines, minor compression issues, ringing, and other assorted issues. This is hardly of reference quality, but it gets the job done to satisfaction given the 1080i encode and program length.

The Official Review of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2014 FIA Formula One World Championship features a big and aggressive -- sometimes a bit too big and too aggressive -- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It's nearly overpowering at reference volume, with huge zips and zooms and engine sounds flowing into, through, and around the listening area. The track is certainly not lacking subtlety or timidity, instead going full-charge in aggressively recreating the sounds of racing for the home audience. Music is likewise bold and empowered, spilling into the stage at high volume and with evident width and depth but only good -- not great -- definition. Narration and dialogue are likewise a little jacked up in terms of raw volume, but definition and articulation are fine. Kudos for a huge effort, but it's just a little too much at times as it sacrifices precision for aggression.

The Official Review of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

2014 FIA Formula One World Championship's special features are included on disc two.

• On Board Cameras (1080i, 42:46 total runtime): Watch race clips from the drivers' perspectives, four-pannel split screens, and other bits as well, such as victory celebrations and interview clips. The piece includes a few basic overlay graphics, including speed and throttle and brake pressure. Split screens feature a graphic to signal the audio being heard. Below is a breakdown of the selectable chapters in the piece.
• Australia -- Nico Rosberg Starts the New Era from Third on the Grid.
• Malaysia -- Trio Get in a Tangle on the First Lap.
• Bahrain -- Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg Battle It Out.
• China -- An All Action Start.
• Spain -- Pat Fry Talks Heat with Kimi Raikkonen's Thermal Camera.
• Monaco -- Valtteri Bottas Knows How to Avoid a First Lap Crash.
• Canada -- Gary Anderson Analyses Lewis Hamilton's Thermal Camera.
• Austria -- Felipe Massa Returns to Pole Position.
• Great Britain -- Nico Rosberg Storms to Pole Position.
• Germany -- Susie Wolff Puts in a Good Performance.
• Hungary -- Daniel Ricciardo's Late Dash to Victory.
• Belgium -- Mercedes Break the Golden Rule on Lap Two.
• Italy -- Fernando Alonso Fights from the Fourth Row.
• Singapore -- Jean-Eric Vergne's Thrilling End to the Race.
• Japan -- Max Verstappen Makes His Debut in Friday Practice.
• Russia -- Daniil Kvyat Excels in Front of His Home Crowd in Qualifying.
• USA -- Adrian Sutil's Qualifying Gives Sauber Ferrari a Boost.
• Brazil -- Ferrari Fight for Sixth Place.
• Abu Dhabi -- Pan Around with Sergio Perez as He Loses Fifth Place.
• Poetry in Motion: The Art of a Pit Stop (1080i, 2:00): Viewers are presented with a quick overview of the grace, speed, and importance of a pit stop.
• Belgium Track Guide with Sebastian Vettel (1080i, 5:55): The racer talks up the track's diversity and challenges, the benefits of walking the track, driving techniques for the track, and more.
• Analysis of Turn Three in Russia with Gary Anderson (1080i, 2:39): A short but detailed look at one of the most challenging turns in racing, with a look at how a few different drivers and cars take it.
• Formula One Over the Years in USA (1080i, 3:47): James Allen, from Austin, Texas, looks back at some of the great moments in US F1 history.
• Nico Rosberg Talks About the Title Races Whilst in the USA (1080i, 2:21): The driver discusses fan appreciation, victories, and his plan of attack for the drivers' championship.
• Lewis Hamilton Discusses His Title Hopes Whilst in Brazil (1080i, 2:27): The 2014 World Drivers' Champion discusses key moments, character building, and his improvements as a driver since his last championship in 2008.
• Down to the Wire in Abu Dhabi (1080i, 3:29): A preview of the last-day battle for first between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton and a look back at some of the other recent close championship runs in F1. The piece ends with a quick breakdown of championship scenarios.
• Driver Profiles (1080i): Short stat pages for Kamui Kobayashi, Marcus Ericsson, Andre Lotterer, Will Stevens, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez, Roman Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton, Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Adrian Sutil, Esteban Gutierrez, Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniil Kvyat, Felipe Massa, and Valtteri Bottas.

The Official Review of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

2014 FIA Formula One World Championship is a strong, tight, energetic, and highly entertaining recap of the 2014 season. It's detailed and long but leaves practically no stone unturned in its exploration of the ins-and-outs of the mechanical and the personal alike as it merges car and driver into inseparable entities on the track but distinguishes them off of it. It's a bit complex for newcomers though diehards will find plenty of value here. But there's another, hidden value worth considering. F1 isn't just about witnessing the talent travel at ridiculous speed and make incredible maneuvers in the world's most finely-tuned four wheels. It's also a great learning tool for both geography and language arts. Sports -- particularly sports with more international flavor to them like hockey and, to some degree, baseball with its heavy Latin American influence -- are often the best way to introduce children to more challenging, global concepts that they will pick up much more quickly by, in the case of F1, idolizing a driver and learning all the tracks rather than simply gazing at facts and figures in a textbook. Hearing the terminology and becoming absorbed in a world such as that surrounding F1 will make learning fun and natural, so fun and natural they won't even realize they're enriching themselves through what is otherwise pure entertainment. Have them spend a season with F1 -- or a few hours with this Bu-ray -- and watch a whole new world come out of their mouth and the knowledge remain in their brains for life. This Blu-ray release of 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship offers rather flat video, very aggressive audio, and a decent bit of extra content on disc two. Highly recommended for longtime F1 fans.