As Formula 1 continues to expand its global audience and invest in premium viewing experiences, a significant portion of the fan base remains left behind: Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing viewers.

Despite F1’s claims of commitment to accessibility, the reality for many fans like myself tells a different story - one of exclusion, frustration, and being forced to miss crucial content that hearing fans take for granted. This oversight has been observed by myself for the past few years, where I foolishly hoped they would fix it the next year, or the year after that.

However, with the current 2025 Season also bringing a new tier to F1TV where they mildly downgraded the “Pro” tier, and added a “Premium” tier that included sweet, juicy 4K goodness and HDR… and yet, their entire library remains inaccessible. At the annual price of $129, it was time for me to draw the line.

The Problem: Widespread Subtitle Failures Across F1TV’s Content Library

F1TV offers an extensive library of content beyond just race broadcasts - documentaries, technical analysis, historical features, and behind-the-scenes content that enriches the F1 experience. However, this content remains largely inaccessible to Deaf and hard of hearing viewers due to persistent subtitle issues across multiple platforms.

My documentation reveals a systematic failure, not just isolated incidents:

Issue 1: Non-functional Subtitle Options

On Safari browsers, many F1TV shows display a subtitle/CC option that, when clicked, only shows “unknown” for language options. Even when selected, no subtitles appear on screen.

Screenshot from “Greatest Comebacks” showing the non-functional subtitle option in Safari

Issue 2: Missing Subtitle Controls Entirely

When viewing identical content on Firefox browsers, the subtitle option often disappears completely. The settings menu (gear icon) only displays resolution options with no caption controls available.

Screenshot from “Tech Talk Retro” showing the complete absence of subtitle options in Firefox

Issue 3: Broken Closed Captioning on Mobile Apps

The F1TV app on iPadOS displays a “CC” button suggesting closed captions are available, yet selecting this option fails to display any captions on screen.

Screenshot from “Racing ID” showing the CC button that doesn’t produce any actual captions

The Impact: Premium Prices, Subpar Accessibility

The accessibility failures become even more frustrating when considering F1TV’s current pricing structure in 2025. The new 4K premium tier, despite commanding a higher subscription fee, still fails to provide adequate captioning:

• Live races do still include captions
• Post-race driver interviews inexplicably lose captions mid-segment
• Driver cooldown room footage remains uncaptioned
• The entire content library of documentaries, analysis shows, and technical features lacks functional subtitles

What’s particularly insulting is that ESPN’s Formula 1 coverage (available on YouTube TV, which I also pay for) manages to provide consistent closed captioning for every minute of the Formula 1 segments, including driver interviews, cooldown room, etc. - proving this isn’t a technical impossibility but rather a priority issue for F1TV. At this point - if I have YouTube TV which covers F1 races, and F1TV which has CC for all the races but none of the content in their “library”, these things end up being the exact same thing, so what am I paying for with F1TV here?

Real-World Examples: Consistent Failures Across Content Types

Earlier in this post, I had shown screenshots that demonstrate the “states” of closed captioning: unknown, broken, or just plain missing. This part of my documentation highlights how this problem affects a range of content types:

Premium Documentaries

“Beyond All Limits” represents premium documentary content that should showcase F1’s production values, yet Deaf fans can’t access it:

Technical Analysis

“Jolyon Palmer’s Analysis” provides crucial insights into race strategy and driver performance, but remains inaccessible:

Historical & Educational Content

“Tech Talk Retro” and “Racing ID” offer valuable educational content about the sport’s history and technical aspects:

Video Evidence

For those who want to see these issues in action, I’ve created a video demonstration showing the subtitle failures on Safari:

F1TV Subtitle Issue Demonstration

What F1 Needs to Fix

1. Implement consistent subtitles across ALL content - not just live races
2. Ensure subtitle functionality works across all platforms (browsers, mobile apps)
3. Maintain caption continuity during interviews and cooldown room footage
4. Provide transparent support channels for accessibility issues
5. Match the accessibility standards already achieved by broadcast partners like ESPN

The Bigger Picture: Accessibility as a Right, Not a Luxury

Formula 1 proudly positions itself as a global, inclusive sport that embraces diversity. Yet its digital content strategy tells a different story - one where Deaf and hard of hearing fans are treated as an afterthought. The inconsistent implementation of basic accessibility features across F1TV suggests accessibility is viewed as optional rather than fundamental.

For Deaf F1 fans like myself, these aren’t minor inconveniences - they represent significant barriers to fully enjoying and understanding a sport we love. When we pay premium subscription prices, we deserve equal access to all content, not just portions deemed worthy of accessibility features.

A Call to Action

If F1 truly values its entire fanbase, it must:

• Acknowledge these systematic accessibility failures
• Commit to a transparent timeline for implementing comprehensive subtitles
• Involve Deaf and hard of hearing fans in testing and feedback
• Establish dedicated accessibility support channels
• Make accessibility a core requirement for all content, not an afterthought

Until F1TV addresses these fundamental accessibility shortcomings, they’re effectively waving a black flag at a significant portion of their fan base - disqualifying us from the complete F1 experience despite our passionate support of the sport.