what would be your dream team TV presenters?

[Monty]

Discussions elsewhere got me thinking.
I only have experience here in the UK.
I liked most of the original BBC F1 team, ITV basically adopted most of the team and then BBC put together another good team. Sky stepped in and took Martin Brundle but introduced Simon Lazenby (who I really do not like) and Georgie Thompson who tried to survive by thrusting her chest out further every race! Her role was taken by her best friend (!) Natalie Pinkham who is really good. I'm not sure if Natalie will be returning as she is married to a millionaire and has just had a baby.  Sky has a massive budget which means they have Croft commentating and a great team of regular pundits - Brundle, Johnny Herbert & Damon Hill plus Anthony Davidson (brilliant) or Bruno Senna (not so good). They also have Ted Kravitz who in my opinion is a waste of space!
BBC has the excellent Ben Edwards commentating, plus Suzi, Coulthard, Jordan, Lee McKenzie and Tom Clarkson. They also used to give Azi Farni some airtime and I think she is great (although now drowning in the awful BT Sport coverage of Moto GP!).
For me the dream team would be:-
Ben Edwards commentating
David Coulthard - grid walk and commentating
Martin Brundle and Lee McKenzie - presenting
Azi Farni - interviews

[Scott]

I like your choices Monty, but I would still like Eddie, as eccentric as he is, to be part of the team.  Maybe best in an 'Opinion' role, doing one or two special pieces per broadcast.  I also really like Gary Anderson doing the tech pieces.

[Jericoke]

I miss Murray Walker and Jackie Stewart.

I also enjoyed a few years where Brian Williams would pair with Murray Walker for the Canadian Grand Prix on CBC (Brundle was off doing LeMans).  They even had Greg Moore join in once!

It was nice having Canadian talent involved in Formula One broadcasts.  (With that said, I do NOT miss Vic Rauter's pre race show on TSN.  The only part worthwhile was when he interviewed Gerald Donaldson, who I do miss)

[Alianora La Canta]

I miss Murray Walker too!

For contemporary presenters, and assuming I'm building an English-speaking crew (well, mostly-English given that EJ is in my list!), I'd want:

- David Coulthard and Martin Brundle or Martin Haven in the commentary box (I'd take either Martin as "lead commentator" but only DC would be in my ideal "been-there-done-it support" role). Of the other candidates I can think of, James Allen was generally 3 steps behind the music, David Croft and Ben Edwards scream loud enough that their voices distort and I need subtitles/someone with less sensitive ears in the room to tell me what they said (plus both tend to overhype everything and Ben tends to be 5 steps behind the music - at least David's generally up to speed), Allan McNish and Anthony Davidson are still too busy driving to commit to a full commentary season (it's less critical for punditry), Jonathan Legard had a bad case of the mumbles most of the time (though sufficiently surprising events temporarily turned him into a good commentator), Will Buxton falls into the overhyping trap but not the others, and though Jenson was good when he last commentated, I wouldn't have thought his boss would let him combine it with his current job...)

- Mark Hughes doing the fact-supplying job (an often-overlooked part of TV presenting due to never being heard and rarely seen).

- Louise Goodman in the paddock, getting interviews from the pen. Holly Samos is a close second choice for this one, but Louise was perhaps a little more incisive and I think she'd still be capable of the role.

- Jake Humphrey, teamed with Damon Hill, Eddie Jordan and Allan McNish (combining any 2 of these at a given race, but having all combinations at least once per season). Jake is the only presenter I've seen to keep Eddie Jordan from overrunning whoever's paired with him, and the co-pundits have to be of equal strength to each other (as well as experienced in at least one important aspect of the sport and good communicators). The three I mention all fit those boxes. 3 perma-pundits is not necessary, but variety is, and all three of the people I mention would do fine in a part-time broadcast role.

- Gary Anderson to do technical matters. No competition (even if Mike Gascoyne probably thinks he is) - for the likes of Rory Bryne are too reticent to work well in a broadcasting role and Ross Brawn, though a decent fit for the job, doesn't have the same degree of broadcasting technical polish as Gary. Maybe this time next decade...

- An additional pundit for selected races drawn from Anthony Davidson, Graeme Lowden, Murray Walker (for Silverstone, obviously) and anyone else with nothing better to do who appears capable of contributing in this department. I feel this would add extra depth to what can sometimes be an under-analysed sport.

(I cannot judge Azi Farni as I've never seen her work).

[Dare]

I used to think Speed had the best until I saw the light
and followed it to the UK channels.Of the two now I think I
prefer Sky over BBC.

[John S]

My dream line up would be Martin Haven main commentator, his sidekick would rotate for availability and variety:- Ant Davidson, Johnnie Herbert, John Watson, Mark blundell or Karun Chandock. Main presenter Simon Lazenby & Suzi Perry alternating or even together - it's a link role only anyway and they're as good as anyone else. Jennie Gow doing the pen, pits and paddock driver interviews, Gary Anderson as Pits technical coverage. 

- Oh and Natalie Pinkham & Brundle could do a pre-race chat show, on some low rent reality channel, called 'Homes, Cars and Partners of F1', Coulthard could be their local Monaco correspondent.     

 

[cosworth151]

I think I'd go with John Hindhaugh and David Hobbs in the booth, Ant Davidson at the Skypad or whatever your network calls it, Will Buxton on the grid,  Louise Goodman for pit/paddock/pen duty and EJ, Allan McNish & Johnny Herbert for the "standing around behind the pits talking" crew. When Hindhaugh & Davidson are off for WEC, substitute  Leigh Diffey and Karun Chandock.

And, if I could have a real "Dream Team," I'd go with the old Wide World of Sports lineup of Jim McKay, Jackie Stewart & Chris Economaki.  (Just ask Dare or Lonnie about them    )

[lkjohnson1950]

Jim McKay was a real news reporter who happened to like doing sports. He could easily have been doing "hard news". The best. Sir Jackie was excellent as well, but Chris always grated on my nerves a bit. Seemed every interview started with "What's it like out there". He knew his stuff though.

[Ian]

First thing would be to chuck Suzi Perry and her cow eyes at the camera out.
Grid walk, Martin Brundle, I like DC but Martin has him beat there.
Presenters, Lee McKenzie, EJ and DC.
Commentary, Ant or Alan, but they're busy driving so I'd go  for MB & DC.
Interviews, Louise.

[Irisado]

I still wish Murray Walker could be the lead commentator, but everyone has to stop sometime, and he did stop while he was still ahead, and that's always the best way to end.  I like the fact that he still does some features for BBC Online, so I'd very much keep him for that.

Otherwise, I'd have Martin Brundle as the expert commentator.  I like DC, but Martin is still better in my opinion.  He and DC could do a grid walk together though.  Ben Edwards makes for a good lead commentator in Murray's absence.  James Allen and David Croft are a bit too loud for me, while Jonathan Legard was really out of his depth commentating on Formula 1, using the same phrases over and over again, making tedious races even more tedious than they should have been.

As far as presentation is concerned, I actually think that Suzi Perry does a good job, although Lee McKenzie would be my personal pick, as I think that she's a bit better.  DC and EJ would remain.  I like EJ, even when he's completely wrong.  I particularly like the introductory poetic pieces he does from time-to-time.

[Ian]

I would have picked Murray anytime but I don't think he's up to a full season, I'd love him to do some guest appearances commentating though, he's the man for F1.