The FIA Already Has the Data — They're Just Not Showing It to Us

The FIA's own official timing documents from the 2026 Australian Grand Prix record gaps to three decimal places. In the race fastest laps classification, the gap between Lewis Hamilton (4th fastest) and Kimi Antonelli (3rd fastest) was exactly 0.006 seconds — six thousandths of a second. That is approximately 4 centimetres between two Formula 1 cars. But on the broadcast? Fans saw nothing. Both drivers showed the same rounded number.

This is not a technology limitation. It is a choice.

For years, F1 broadcast graphics displayed the time gap between drivers to three decimal places (e.g., +0.267). In the 2026 season — alongside the new regulations, the Apple TV broadcast deal in the US, and TAG Heuer's return as Official Timekeeper — the on-screen timing tower was reduced to just one decimal place (e.g., +0.3). The data exists. The systems capture it. It is simply no longer being shown to fans.

 
Why Three Decimal Places Matter in Formula 1

The Sport Is Defined by Thousandths

Formula 1 timing systems — operated by TAG Heuer since 2025, and before that by Rolex (2013–2024) — measure lap times to ten-thousandths of a second using transponders embedded in every car and timing loops placed every 150–200 metres around the circuit. The official published precision is to the thousandth (0.001s).

This precision isn't academic. It decides real outcomes:

• At the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez, three drivers posted identical qualifying times to the thousandth of a second — a scenario that can only be communicated with three-decimal precision.
• At the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, the closest top 10 in qualifying history saw just 0.543 seconds covering all ten drivers. In fields that tight, the difference between positions is routinely measured in hundredths and thousandths.
• At the 2026 Australian Grand Prix itself, George Russell took pole with a time of 1:18.518, with teammate Kimi Antonelli just under three tenths behind. In the race, the fastest lap gaps between 3rd, 4th and 5th were separated by as little as 0.006s and 0.059s — numbers that disappear entirely when rounded to one decimal place.

One Decimal Place Hides Critical Information
When a broadcast shows a gap of "+0.3s," the actual gap could be anything from +0.250s to +0.349s. That's a range of nearly a full tenth of a second — an eternity in F1 terms. For context:

• 0.1 seconds is roughly 7 metres of distance at racing speed. That's the difference between a comfortable gap and a car filling your mirrors.
• Teams make pit stop strategy calls based on gaps of hundredths of a second. Whether an undercut will work can hinge on margins invisible at one decimal place.
• The new-for-2026 Overtake Mode activates when a car is within 1.000 seconds of the car ahead at a designated detection point. Fans following a chase need to see whether a driver is at +1.05s (almost there) or +1.09s (still work to do) — not just "+1.1s" for both scenarios.

It Undermines the Viewing Experience
Commentators, analysts, and fans worldwide relied on three-decimal precision to read races in real time. "He's closed from 0.8 to 0.6" tells a completely different story than seeing the gap go from 0.843 to 0.612. The first feels static. The second is a driver on a charge, closing at two tenths per lap.

With the 2026 regulations creating dramatic new dynamics — energy management battles, active aero deployment, the Overtake Mode system — fans need more data to understand what's happening, not less.

 
A Step Backwards for the Sport's Timing Legacy
Formula 1 spent 75 years advancing from hand-held stopwatches in the 1950s to today's transponder systems accurate to ten-thousandths of a second. TAG Heuer — F1's Official Timekeeper since 2025 as part of a landmark LVMH deal — describes itself as "honoured and privileged to be the name connected to the very thing that defines the winner: time." Reducing the visible precision on the broadcast runs directly counter to that legacy and that brand promise.

 
What We Are Asking
We, the undersigned fans and supporters of Formula 1, respectfully call on the FIA, FOM, and all relevant authorities to:

1. Restore three-decimal-place timing (e.g., +0.267s) on all broadcast graphics, including the timing tower, gap overlays, and battle graphics.
2. Maintain three-decimal precision on the official F1 app and F1 TV live timing screens.
3. Preserve the technical integrity of the sport's presentation. Formula 1 should showcase its precision — not hide it.
4. Consult the fan community before making future changes to the way timing data is displayed. This data is central to how fans engage with the sport in real time.

 
This Is the Pinnacle of Motorsport — Show Us Every Millisecond

Formula 1 prides itself on being the fastest, most technologically advanced racing series in the world. The timing screen is how hundreds of millions of fans connect with that reality in real time.

The data already exists. The systems already capture it. The infrastructure already supports it. This is purely a presentation decision — and it is the wrong one.

We are the fans who wake up at 3 AM for a race start on the other side of the world. We are the ones who refresh the live timing app while watching the broadcast on a second screen. We study sector splits, tyre deltas, and gap trends. We don't want a simplified version of the sport we love. The new generation of fans drawn in by Drive to Survive and F1's global growth deserve to see the real sport in all its precision — not a dumbed-down approximation.

Formula 1 spent decades advancing from stopwatches to microsecond-accurate transponder systems. Going backwards on the broadcast is not simplification. It is a loss.

Give us back our three decimal places.