Formula One’s new theme music has been released. The three-minute piece was created by film composer Brian Tyler.
The theme is available via Amazon, Apple Music and other streaming services.
Tyler’s previous work includes compositions for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man 3 and several instalments of the The Fast And The Furious film series.
Tyler said on social media it was “an honor to be chosen to compose the Formula One theme” and “a life long dream come true as I am a massive Formula One fan.”
The new theme continues the rebranding of the sport begun by commercial rights holders Liberty Media last year, which included the introduction of a new logo. Formula One’s television and online graphics have also been overhauled ahead of the start of the 2018 F1 season later this week.
Formula One said in a statement the changes are being made “within the context of looking at ways to bring fans closer to Formula 1.”
“We are exploring all avenues to refresh the look and feel of the show,” it added.
“Music is a key component of the emotion of sport and we are engaging with top international talent in order to develop a new signature tune for F1.”
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Graham (@guitargraham)
20th March 2018, 11:38
sounds like it belongs in a transformers movie
Lee (@leejo)
20th March 2018, 11:42
Yeah I’d keep working on it.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
20th March 2018, 11:44
@guitargraham @leejo Someone on YouTube will have a Pastor Maldonado crash montage set to this before the sun is down.
Mark in Florida
20th March 2018, 22:44
Hahaha, that’s funny Keith. Maybe they should have used Disturbed song Stupify for the theme because I am certainly disturbed by the let down on this one. After all the expectation this is what we get a Silvester Stallone movie theme.
Lee (@leejo)
21st March 2018, 3:20
Brilliant! Still transformers music…
Umar A (@umartajuddin)
20th March 2018, 13:12
I think its fine. Once they get the visuals for this and a nice montage, I think it’ll be nice.
Honestly, Im sure when they used the chain Im sure tons of people complained, but now its “iconic”. Like any change, it’ll grow on me Im sure.
Todfod (@todfod)
20th March 2018, 16:54
I don’t know how people could complain when they used the chain. The way that track started, just set the pulses racing with a certain intensity.
This track sounds like a cliche Hollywood background score with a couple of nice touches of f1 car pass bys. I don’t think the composition is bad, just the overall direction that liberty wanted to take seems cheesy and uncool.
tonyyeb (@tonyyeb)
20th March 2018, 11:42
@guitargraham Was just thinking it wouldn’t be out of place in a Super Hero type film. But considering his recent work that was probably to be expected. From 1m35 onwards it sounds like a James Bond type instrumental.
DaveF1 (@davef1)
20th March 2018, 12:09
Perfect then.
When you’ve seen one superhero movie, you’ve basically seen them all and when you’ve seen one Mercedes victory, you’ve basically seen them all.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
20th March 2018, 12:37
Sounds like it belongs to some bada blockbuster movie. I’m not especially liking it as I find it quite dull and cliché. Probably another composer would have done a better job but hey as long as the races are good (and they don’t put this theme in the middle of the race), I don’t mind.
MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
20th March 2018, 14:06
You guys really think it sounds like a movie soundtrack? I feel it sounds like the *insert word that always gets my comments deleted* you can use as royalty free music on youtube. Like, really really cheap. Was this recorded? or is it just the synthetic instruments from garage band
Osella-AlfaRomeo (@osella-alfaromeo)
20th March 2018, 14:47
I thought of Star Trek… Next Generation.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
21st March 2018, 8:31
@mrboerns most movie music fit with your description anyways.
lancesuk (@lancesuk)
22nd March 2018, 1:48
Yeah, sounds like cheap VSTs on Kontakt or whatever. Don’t like it at all but that’s me. No catchy melody, no hook, just the same “sameness” of every hero movie. Tries hard to be emotional but never really gets there.
Crom
20th March 2018, 14:45
Well, if you ask Brian Tyler or Hans Zimmer to compose a theme, then you’re asking for a particular type of mainstream Hollywood music. And that’s what we’ve got here, Brian Tyler fulfilled Liberty’s brief (and very well I’d say), so blame them.
MtlRacer (@mtlracer)
20th March 2018, 18:33
I guess John Williams was not available… at least his movie themes are memorable even without the movie.
matt90
21st March 2018, 22:44
Zimmer’s done some great work and is definitely several cuts above Tyler.
rsp123 (@rsp123)
20th March 2018, 18:15
Spot on. Derivative drivel.
CoreyDSFA
20th March 2018, 18:58
Why does one have to buy it on Amazon?
ivz (@ivz)
21st March 2018, 1:20
The music in Transformers is much better than this. Brian Tyler would have written what he was asked, and going by Liberty, they would have asked for something American and bland. They could have just paid to use a piece from Rush, maybe saved money? Or maybe too expensive. But there are some very emotional musical cues in that movie.
pastaman (@)
20th March 2018, 11:43
I love how in modern advertising/marketing they still use the sounds of engines from the pre-hybrid era. Quite telling…
Root Ginger
20th March 2018, 13:17
If you listen it has different eras of engine, the end of the song is the current V6 Hybrid, I suspect Ferrari.
pastaman (@)
20th March 2018, 15:17
You are right, good catch. I was also referring to TV commercials (like Mobil oil) and over here in the states before an F1 race would start there would be a graphic and have the sound of a car whizzing by, it’s the old engine sounds they play :)
markp
20th March 2018, 16:29
If they used the current Ferrari engine at the start instead of the end your room will fill up with smoke?
mildertduck (@mildertduck)
20th March 2018, 11:44
It’s…. very long. Why do I have a feeling it’s going to be played all the way up until the lights go out, a la Formula E?
Deej92 (@deej92)
20th March 2018, 12:12
Oh please God no. I pray they don’t do that.
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
20th March 2018, 12:34
I think it will, and it’ll definitely be played whenever they show mid-race highlights. It has a very IndyCar feel to it, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.
I like IndyCar being pure American, that’s what it is. But F1 is a world championship. This feels really regional.
Invisiblekid
22nd March 2018, 16:37
Yeah no offence, but this is reeks of “Made In America”. It’s like a cross between a US Network channel and name-your-US-sport theme. Until the end I thought there was a lot of NFL inspiration.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
20th March 2018, 12:39
@mildertduck – typically these thematic pieces are composed for a few minutes, like a regular song. However, from a broadcast perspective, a small and catchy jingle will be extracted (maybe with a slight modification) and used for the logo/intro.
Lewisham Milton
20th March 2018, 23:04
3 minutes – imagine what that will do to the tyre temperatures. Pirelli will have to make some even softer compounds.
Hugh (@hugh11)
20th March 2018, 11:44
No electric guitar? Well okay then… I don’t hate it, but it could be more rock and roll. Also, I hope they never use the full 3 minute thing, as it’s 3 minutes of exactly the same thing. I wonder which part they’ll use for a 30 second or so intro.
Andy (@andycz)
20th March 2018, 11:45
Nothing can beat THE CHAIN! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z-dJ35fOiM
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
20th March 2018, 12:37
Nice piece of music!
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
20th March 2018, 13:09
+1 if it ain’t broke don’t fix it
Stoffelfan (@stoffelfan)
20th March 2018, 13:22
+ another 1!
Jammyb
20th March 2018, 14:04
That was just the intro music used for F1 UK broadcasts I believe, nothing to do with F1’s actual theme
David BR (@david-br)
20th March 2018, 14:08
True I guess, but I have heard it used in association with F1 in other countries.
anon
20th March 2018, 18:19
@david-br, given that some countries would repackage the BBC’s own coverage for their own domestic audiences, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is why it sometimes cropped up in other countries.
I mean, whilst we say “UK broadcasts”, what we really mean is “BBC broadcasts after 1978” – I understand that the BBC had their own theme tune that they used before 1978, and of course other broadcasters in the UK have used different theme tunes as well. Just wondering – is it possible that the BBC might have found a way to ensure that they have the exclusive right to use “The Chain” in association with F1 broadcasts?
Anyway, around the world, what most people might associate as an iconic tune for F1 is likely to be extremely different – in fact, it would be interesting to see what theme music those outside of the UK associate with F1.
David BR (@david-br)
20th March 2018, 21:00
Well, this is Brazil’s. Not that Formula 1 is doing very well in Brazil in recent years, races tends to be shortened, cut abruptly or even omitted entirely sometimes on the main channel (Globo), though thankfully its subsidiary paid channels show full races and practices. And with less annoying commentary.
David BR (@david-br)
20th March 2018, 21:02
… nothing like UK TV coverage though, which I have to track down by other means :o)
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
20th March 2018, 21:42
@david-br that explains the car selection music in an “F1 2008” (F1 challenge ’99-’02 mod – but I way young and didn’t care) game I got a few years back
David BR (@david-br)
21st March 2018, 12:51
@davidnotcoulthard The music is a bit early-1980s, excited cheerful rush, but gives it a bit of a ‘Senna’ feel. Nothing wrong with F1 99-02! About the only game I could get a decent lap using a keyboard. Never got into the mods though.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
21st March 2018, 15:12
@david-br I mean I was given an “F1 2008 Delux” on a disc….which turned out to be a modded F1 ’99-’02 (not that I knew any better)
David BR (@david-br)
20th March 2018, 14:06
I don’t mind change, though I obviously love the F1 music I’ve heard since a kid. The problem is ‘The Chain’ already captivates you from the first bar of music, to be honest from the first bass note! The music that’s been composed never captures your attention, it takes ages to develop and I bet nobody on planet Earth is ever going to hum it to themselves or anyone else. It’s the definition of unmemorable and sounds like the music playing at the end of a comic strip film after the main end song has ended and you’re reading the credits for the lighting crew and sandwich suppliers, waiting for your cinema row to clear.
Todfod (@todfod)
20th March 2018, 16:59
@david-br
Nail on the head with that comment.
Strontium (@strontium)
20th March 2018, 14:36
+1
McF1 (@mccosmic)
20th March 2018, 17:49
I so completely agree @andycz. I know this is very UK centric but they should have just cut a deal with Fleetwood Mac and be done with it. I’m afraid Brian Tyler should never have picked up the phone when the call came in. It is utterly forgettable and along with its extremely cringeworthy sampling of an F1 engine, my view is that it should be black flagged immediately.
stefano (@alfa145)
20th March 2018, 11:46
oh god… this feels 20 years old already
and totally out of context but, still. what can you do
Damon (@damon)
20th March 2018, 12:13
Agreed, very old-fashioned. It totally misses the mark in terms of expressing the vibe of Formula 1 or all motorsports a.d. 2018 for that matter.
Way overdramatic, as @eddfire admits a couple of comments below.
Strontium (@strontium)
20th March 2018, 14:49
+1, I can see what they’re trying to do but they’ve missed the mark massively, and to be honest, I don’t think it’s really necessary. They brought in a new logo because they thought the old one was dated then they bring in this…
As a fan, it certainly won’t help to ‘bring me closer to the sport’. If the racing is good enough then people will watch, if not they won’t
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
20th March 2018, 11:48
Imagine getting the Iron Man 3 guy to do it and not just telling him “Bryan, just remake ‘Can You Dig It’!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XJ07onCqAs
Sergey Martyn
20th March 2018, 11:51
Resembles too much the music from the Russian 90’s gangster series “The Brigade”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fexf2ymbDTM
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
20th March 2018, 14:11
The beggining of this poor taste calamity does remind me of russia. Great spot.
Shaun Robinson (@)
20th March 2018, 11:54
NOPE, not having it!
f1alex (@f1alex)
20th March 2018, 11:55
Not good. Incredibly bland and generic, if they took the occasional engine noises away I would not be able to tell this apart from almost every mainstream action film’s music from the past few years. It does exactly the opposite of what good theme music is supposed to do; it doesn’t scream “Formula 1”, in fact it doesn’t scream anything at all. It’s just another piece of Hollywood-style synthesised “orchestral” music, with hideous sounding drums.
Sergey Martyn
20th March 2018, 11:57
What a shame actually – if you hear that “effort” without knowing it has been approved for F1 – it’s only good enough for Lord of the Rings scene of Frodo’s battle with pubic louses.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
20th March 2018, 17:46
Don’t follow the lice
Will Wood (@willwood)
20th March 2018, 11:58
It’s fine.
It does for F1 what John Williams’s NBC theme does for the NFL.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
25th March 2018, 12:22
Yeah the first thing I thought was the NFL – which is why it doesn’t feel like a good fit to me. Maybe it will just take some time.
EDD (@eddfire)
20th March 2018, 11:58
Way too overdramatic.
daniyyel (@oji)
20th March 2018, 12:04
So… count how many times during this 3 minutes new theme song were you thinking about the Avengers theme.
When it’s not the Avengers remix it’s like hearing a documentary theme from 20-30 years ago about the World Wars.
While the new logo it’s not great, this new Infinity War remix theme is just bad.
What was wrong with the 11 seconds one used for the last 10 years? Just because “we need to change everything”?
BlackJack (@danieljaksa)
20th March 2018, 12:06
Oh dear, F1’s still being run by people with old ideas. May as well get Bernie back. First drivers sitting under thongs, now music that makes them feel like wearing capes.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
20th March 2018, 14:09
Agreed jackbrabham. I guess it’s not old fashioned in the states. They watch superhero flicks with real people, live actors and awful cgi.
Sergey Martyn
20th March 2018, 12:07
Can anyone please tell me how this pompous and plagiatric noise can be judged as F! theme? Carey’s
moustaches liked it, no wonder.
just.daz (@nemo87)
20th March 2018, 12:10
I like it. It’s orginal and written for F1.
I couldn’t stand ‘just drive’
This is heroic. It’s like something from a marvel movie!
The trailer to go with it can only help emphasise that! Job well done!
SparkyAMG (@)
20th March 2018, 13:25
You’ll still hear Just Drive on Sky Sports, this is replacing the short piece that plays just before lights out when they display the F1 logo.
just.daz (@nemo87)
20th March 2018, 15:18
Damn.
Dan Rooke (@geekzilla9000)
20th March 2018, 12:11
Well I love it!
Sounds like a film score, very dramatic and gives a sense of “pursuit”. it sounds BIG!
Thumbs up from me.
Jase (@)
20th March 2018, 12:19
It’s alright
It’s not like it’ll be looped for two hours… right?
I’m more concerned about the American Wrestling styled intro’s the drivers did in Austin
MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
20th March 2018, 12:35
Yes Yes yes lets just have an actual score for the races now would’t that be fun. You’d have to broadcast ‘USA-style-live’ to match the score to dramatic incidents but what the Heck, all they ever do is talk about improving the show.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
20th March 2018, 15:07
Brian Tyler used to make a full range of theme for a movie. I think this is only for the opening title, and there will be a distinct F1 theme for MercedesAMGF1 (Lannister) and HondaRacingF1 (Stark) when their scene started.
monolulu (@monolulu)
20th March 2018, 12:21
Reminders me of the music from “Rush”, expect Thin Lizzy next! Hope the racing is as dramatic.
David
20th March 2018, 12:24
F1 meets Marvel Comics. Can only hope the Season lives up to the movies.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
20th March 2018, 12:24
Let’s just get the rights for Fleetwood’s The Chain, eh? =)
Robbie (@robbie)
20th March 2018, 12:25
Wow, standing restart topic…2 comments…theme music? 26 and counting, lol.
F1 Alleycat (@f1alleycat)
7th April 2018, 13:04
@robbie
I had the exact same thought. Now at 194! Last time comments were this high was Hamilton’s little tax situation I think.
Not sure about the theme tune TBH. Maybe it will grow on me. I’m like a lot of people here & still love the F1 music I grew up with (Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain).
(Please excuse how late this comment is, I’m way behind & trying to catch up with 6 weeks of email after I started a new job with killer hours – only 2 & a half weeks to go now)
Philip (@philipgb)
20th March 2018, 12:29
It sounds like cheesy movie montage music. The whole time it played I could quite easily visualise guys in white coats standing around wind tunnels and sketch boards nodding and giving each other thumbs up. It just sounds so generic and cliche as it attempts to sound dramatic.
I hadn’t realised until recently that The Chain was a uniquely British musical association. It really is the perfect soundtrack to F1, I can’t understand why they would have some movie theme song writing hack compose the soundtrack rather than real musicians.
Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
20th March 2018, 12:29
I guess is fits with the new logo, uninspired and derivative. I agree with most that it sounds like the end credits music for an action movie. Using the sounds of a previous generation of engines is laughable. I’m going to have to say no, dog!
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
20th March 2018, 14:06
They’ve insulted the fans again, the branding strategy stupidifies the old viewers. they are trying to snare people with an enormous amount of advertising and marketing tricks, I don’t think kids will fall for this maybe it makes sense in the states. Desperate tactics, no confidence at all in f1 as an entity. The logo should ve been more creative and the song as well, try to make something that’s comercial but it stands out and is distinctive, do something in a partnership with a well known dj or band and maybe a pop artist. their perspective is certainly americanized, hence the cheap superhero “trick” a lot of people watch those dreadful superhero flicks.
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
20th March 2018, 12:33
It’s everything I thought it would be:
Trailer/Americanificent/NBC-esque.
It’s alright, but it was very predictable, and you still can’t help but have that nagging feeling that you have the perfect F1 theme sitting right there in Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”, but alas, they want to move on.
Dave
20th March 2018, 12:33
Not good enough.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
20th March 2018, 12:42
I’m pretty sure it’s from Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. I heard Liberty has hired Captain Sparrow to be F1’s spokesperson. I think the combination of the theme with a drunken version of Johnny Depp at the paddock will work great!
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
20th March 2018, 12:48
Now listen to this and let’s see how long it takes for you to get goosebumps:
Going the distance
Amateurish piece of music by Brian – hardly melodic and zero emotion.
John H (@john-h)
20th March 2018, 12:53
Or Cake’s idea of going the distance…
https://youtu.be/F_HoMkkRHv8
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
20th March 2018, 13:12
@john-h never heard of that one but I like the bass especially towards the end – if they remastered it with just a few vocals (going the distance), it could have been awesome for a 1-2 minute intro. Some of the lyrics are pretty catchy too
he’s racing
he’s pacing
he’s plotting the course…
he’s going for speed,
he’s going the distance
It’s hard not to like it:-)
John H (@john-h)
20th March 2018, 12:51
That was my first thought, Pirates of the Caribbean!
I’m sad about turning F1 into Americanised entertainment, but I can’t do anything about it so will just accept it and be apathetic. So long as they don’t play this during the race, then I really will be mad.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
20th March 2018, 12:43
Hmm, so F1 meets Hollywood. And I’d know it was F1 only for those muted engine snarl-like sounds that occasionally cropped up.
I’m curious to know if those are actual engine sounds, or played via an instrument. Composers love to replicate such real-life sounds via instruments, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually some brass/stringed instrument.
Anyway, what really matters is the racing that comes after this, so let’s hurry up towards this weekend!
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
20th March 2018, 13:42
It’s f1 meets CW. This sounds a lot like something that would’ve come out of The arrow or The flash. Tacky. No flow at all, some small interesting ideas a lot of work to be done i reckon
MsportXtra
20th March 2018, 12:48
Listening to the music with my eyes closed, I imagine a voice going “This is Formula1 2018……………. starring…….” and then all the drivers 1 by 1 with a little clip. I miss the feeling and can’t associate it with F1 (yet) It might have been better if it was more fast flowing, like F1. Fast, overtakings, on track action, even crashes. Hopefully they will add a clip that suits the music. Now a boring race with 3 exciting moments will do to suit the music. Sorry.
Psi (@psi)
20th March 2018, 12:59
Nothing really special and unique about it. Except the staccato triplets.
Psi (@psi)
20th March 2018, 13:10
Also play this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaqvvadTC0g
while listening to it.
vjanik (@vjanik)
20th March 2018, 13:03
Waste of money. Same as the change of logo. Liberty should be giving it to the teams instead.
What attracts fans is exciting competitive racing. Nobody cares about what logo F1 has, what music you play before the race, or who is standing on the grid holding the driver number.
With the halo being introduced and the recent Mercedes domination, Liberty will have a hard time attracting fans (or keeping existing ones) unless the racing is great and exciting. Any amount of money spent on music or advertising wont effect that.
I think 2018 will be an amazing season. But not because of anything Liberty or the FIA have done. I’d probably say despite everything that they have done (ludicrous number of tyre compounds, end of open-cockpit racing, only 3 engines/season facepalm, etc, etc).
SM
20th March 2018, 13:13
Actually I’ve been talking to some non f1 fans regarding the halo and they really like the idea. Aesthetics doesn’t bother them at all. It’s very interesting how non hardcore f1 fans react and perceive changes made to the sport.
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
20th March 2018, 13:48
This is an enormous, sweeping generalisation.
I’d be willing to bet money that the aesthetics are a huge part of the general public’s perception on first impressions of F1, along with the engine sound.
Big Joe
20th March 2018, 14:52
Which age group? younger generations have struggled to get their heads around the small wheel rim sizes over the last decade or so. They also prefer popping and banging noises out of the exhaust than a healthy roar.
Stick 20 inch rims on F1 cars and the Halo becomes totally irrelevant to many.
SM
20th March 2018, 23:07
Of course what I meant (and perhaps I wasn’t clear enough) is that when they are told it’s for the drivers’ safety to protect their heads, then aesthetics doesn’t bother them. And it goes without saying that the non f1 fans I have met don’t represent everyone’s views bla bla bla. I shouldn’t have to mention that at all. It should be obvious.
SM
20th March 2018, 13:05
I had a look at the engineered insanity ad campaign and people weren’t happy over on this site. Had a look on the YouTube page and people absolutely loved it. Especially the editing of the video. Just goes to show that things that f1 hardcore fans won’t like can appeal to a larger less interested audience.
The same goes for this theme song. People seem to not like it on here but someone has of course uploaded it to YouTube and it seems reasonable over there.
In fact it’s made in such a way that they can use snippets of it at various points of the broadcast. One snippet will replace the old theme tune just before handing over to commentators and other parts of the tune will probably be played when showing results at the end of the race or perhaps another snippet on the podium. I highly doubt the whole 3 minutes will be played all at once. Its made like the theme tune of a film. Snippets of one song are usually used throughout a film and other parts of the same song used elsewhere. Inception is a good example
SM
20th March 2018, 13:08
I like some parts of it, not so much other parts. Let’s hope they use the best parts
Asanator (@asanator)
20th March 2018, 22:09
Don’t forget replays…..they are/were talking about adding music to replays which I guess will be this. It’s probably why it needed to be 3 minutes long for the usual…we interrupt this broadcast for 3 minutes of start replays!
God no!
John H (@john-h)
20th March 2018, 13:17
Sorry to get nostalgic, but the song that reminds me most of cars lining up for the grid in terms of building tension is the neverending story theme by Georgio Moroder:
https://youtu.be/rjyh-nDxmsU
It’s not in your face from note one, it builds gradually with subtilty. I truly hope they don’t play this new song as the grid lines up.
TheLeggacy
20th March 2018, 13:33
I though that was airwolf when I started :)
Dieter Rencken (@dieterrencken)
20th March 2018, 14:09
It helped that Giorgio Moroder really “got” cars: he bank-rolled the Cizeta V16T, which used two V8 Lambo engines in series, then turbo’d the whole lot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cizeta-Moroder_V16T
F1 Alleycat (@f1alleycat)
7th April 2018, 14:39
@john-h
Ah yes, I have fond memories of this as well. I was a difficult teenager & F1 was one of very few things that brought my dad & I together in the early 90’s. On an F1 Sunday afternoon the arguments of the previous week would be forgotten & we’d sit together, on the edge of our seats, with ‘The Chain’ to get things started & then Murray would bring us up to date & increase the excitement in his unique & brilliant way before the Never Ending Story music played us through the grid line up to the race start.
To this day F1, & also music which is apt considering the subject, continues as something we both love & enjoy sharing.
Crikey! Talk about nostalgia, I’ve certainly gone off on a somewhat emotional tangent. Anyway, cheers for the reminder of the old grid music. 👍
AliceD (@aliced)
20th March 2018, 13:17
Gladiators; assemble… Contestants; assemble.
Will anyone be able to take down the house gladiators this week? Stay tuned…because after the break…all will be revealed.
AliceD (@aliced)
20th March 2018, 13:19
Give me just 5 years and I bet I can come up with something much better than this.
cduk_mugello (@cduk_mugello)
20th March 2018, 13:18
Promising in places, too Pirate of the Caribbean in others. I wonder if it’ll be used in the same way the Champions League music is used? If used right it could be iconic. If used wrong, it could be a horrific gimmick.
Eric (@fletch)
20th March 2018, 13:26
It’s no “Hockey night in Canada” but it’s pretty awesome
Paul F (@)
20th March 2018, 13:28
Tacky and loutish. Mmmyep.
TheLeggacy
20th March 2018, 13:32
Bring back the chain!!’ This is awful
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
20th March 2018, 13:39
It’s dreadful, the drums,it starts full on. Its peaking all the time, the tempo, too frantic, too super hero, then it becomes a bit bond like. above all it’s just a bad track. Something cinematographic would work. A crescendo type song would work, something more minimalistic.
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
20th March 2018, 13:49
That’s pretty spot on. That’s how I feel. It didn’t seem to build up to a crescendo.
Ju88sy (@)
21st March 2018, 18:23
@peartree Good summary, it’s to busy and frenetic, a piece of music for people with short attention spans!
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
21st March 2018, 21:53
@ecwdanselby One would think, it would be simple. Very slow start as the lights go red and then a crescendo as the lights go down and the McLaren suddenly burst into flames going to t1.
ant
20th March 2018, 13:43
hahahaha
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
20th March 2018, 13:50
Just one more thing for this unberable internet generation complaint about.
Will be just a background music for some ads and events. Will do it’s job right.
Dave
20th March 2018, 23:02
Exactly. Five yeas from now when they want to update it, these same people will be whining to get it back.
Newfangled (@newfangled)
20th March 2018, 14:02
No class, all crass. Help.
toiago (@toiago)
20th March 2018, 14:04
Don’t really like it. They should have just chosen a recent fitting song as the soundtrack instead of going with this. It is a movie main theme, not a sports anthem.
charliex (@photogcw)
20th March 2018, 14:05
I hear a plagiarism lawsuit-it sounds a little to similar to the music from the first Pirates Of The Caribbean movie.
Mickrock (@mickrock)
20th March 2018, 14:12
Hmmm…. now that you say that… I think I concur.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
20th March 2018, 14:28
@photogcw You’re not the only one who feels that way – I think it’s a compilation as I could pick out some notes that sounded very much like Hans Zimmer’s other scores.
Mickrock (@mickrock)
20th March 2018, 14:10
I’m a lover of music. That literally sucks.
Where’s my cape Batman?
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
20th March 2018, 14:14
Can’t say that I’m especially fond of that.
I guess it would be fine for a generic action movie or something but I don’t really think it fits F1 all that well.
PeterRogers
20th March 2018, 14:16
The more Liberty start to change things to fit there vision, The more I start to wonder how much longer I’ll be sticking around because i’ve not been that fond of most of the things they have done so far.
I think the logo is awful, I think the new font is awful & i struggle to read it, This theme is bland & terrible, The prospect of music during the world-feed I think is a terrible idea, I don’t like the idea of highlights interrupting the live world-feed, Shifting the start times back an hour is off-putting at best & makes aspects of the weekend harder to watch for me, The 10 past the hour race start time is stupid & the whole thing is starting to feel as Americanized as I feared it would & in general I don’t like how American sports are presented.
MG1982 (@mg1982)
20th March 2018, 14:23
To be honest, cannot decide yet if it’s acceptable or bad. Not good/original for sure. Also, do not think HAM will like it, there’s no rap, hip-hop, ghetto style part in it to match the image of the current F1 hot shot.
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
20th March 2018, 17:18
*eye-roll*
Neil (@neilosjames)
20th March 2018, 14:30
I quite like it, musically. And I like the note sequence they repeat throughout (whatever the musical term for that is). As long as they don’t play it during the race, I’m entirely cool with it.
But for the life of me, I can’t think why F1 would need a three-minute theme tune. Especially not one that sounds better suited to a fire-eating, tribal-themed circus dance show.
So perhaps we’ll only really encounter this as a quick, seven- or eight-second clip of the most memorable sequence, played at the end of advertising breaks…
Christophe Ghanime (@bensonjutton81)
20th March 2018, 14:30
The engine sounds in it, sound like a cat being run over by one of the cars. He should have collaborated with Fleetwood Mac to combine a bit of the old with the new. It’s O.K but not great.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
20th March 2018, 15:00
Yes. Not as grandiose as other Brian Tyler’s movie score. Not so bad but a bit let down.They should use this.
They going after the new market that never knew the sound of V10 after all. Why not pump the engine sound up? Even comedian Bill Burr who just follow F1 said the race was so crazy loud.
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
20th March 2018, 14:37
Old-fashioned music, really very bad..
Boli (@boli)
20th March 2018, 14:39
what was it before? did it even have a theme?
Not The Chain as it was BBCs F1 intro, and not Sky’s specific intro (although i loved it)
daniyyel (@oji)
20th March 2018, 20:52
@boli, short and simple – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BJx_ll01fU
Boli (@boli)
21st March 2018, 9:48
Oh yeh i loved that. :(
Aaron Andino (@zhunterzz)
20th March 2018, 14:39
Quite epic sounding, but it sounds like its missing something. The drum machine is kinda cheesy. I’ll need to see the opening sequence with some video first to make a decision though.
eljueta (@eljueta)
20th March 2018, 14:46
Oh man it sounds like monday night football
Jonny Edwards (@racectrl)
20th March 2018, 15:25
I think that’s the point. They could use this in NBA/NFL/MLB and no one would bat an eyelid. It is typical of any sport broadcast i have seen in the states and it’s incredible cringe worthy. Very generic and uninspiring.
DavidDesu
20th March 2018, 14:53
I much prefer this song that I used in a video years ago for my proposal for an F1 intro video/song…
https://youtu.be/4g1abyPvlk0
Kasabian. Still sounds good today, is modern, energetic. This theme tune sounds terribly American. Not international, not forward looking like they’re trying with all the new F1 branding like the logo and font. It’s the entithesis of what they appeared to be going for.
Newfangled (@newfangled)
21st March 2018, 2:27
Before I even clicked, I knew it was going to be the (Erol Alkan?) Reason Is Treason remix.
There’s somewhere in the region of 20+ years of great racing video game soundtracks out there to mine inspiration from (I believe the Kasabian remix appears in one of the Gran Turismos), and yet Liberty chose something that’s the antithesis of motorsport, which sounds like a generic American football broadcast. It’s not remotely evocative of motorsport, and is a ghastly misstep.
Big Joe
20th March 2018, 15:06
Surely one of the rejected musical scores for Game of Thrones/similar medieval TV series taken out of the recycle bin for an easy earner.
Someone give Jamiroquai a call for an updated version of the late 90s ITV theme (a bit pricey at £100k IMO though)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=28&v=MTd9k5orwlM
Balue (@balue)
20th March 2018, 16:06
A bit on the generic side perhaps, but a drums and orchestra instrumental will fit 100 times better than most if not all other styles.
So happy it wasn’t a rock ‘n roll or any modern style music that becomes incredibly dated and lame, just like “The Chain” was before.
With the right images it will show the grandeur and timelessness of F1 very well.
Steven Robertson (@emu55)
20th March 2018, 16:09
I’m trying to remain open minded but I just don’t like it, reminds me of a scene from a marvel avengers movie. Fortunately, since liberty are employing the marketing techniques of global business, the whole thing will be rebranded again in 5 years.
Gary
20th March 2018, 16:21
Give me a break. Who cares. Not me, that is for certain. Marketing nonsense, and has nothing to do with car racing.
Broke84 (@broke84)
20th March 2018, 16:25
Sounds like the prefect theme for a new news team fight scene in a future anchorman film.
Miani (@miani)
20th March 2018, 16:25
Very generic and emotionless for me. You don’t think that a Grand Prix will start when you hear that.
This is the best theme for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3P4gLJ-Q7U
It’s the one used by TV Globo for some years now.
michiel (@chielr)
20th March 2018, 16:28
Now I understand why races start 10 minutes after the hour this year, so Liberty can run the full intro theme before the race, so we all are dozed off before the lights go out.
And why are those fake race sounds?
Not sure about this.
Krommenaas (@krommenaas)
20th March 2018, 16:39
The money for this would honestly have been better spent on doing some more CFD computations for a minor winglet variation.
Mickey's Miniature Grandpa
20th March 2018, 16:43
Very bland, unimaginative, doesn’t go anywhere, might as well be a bunch of random notes, zero relevance to F1. Sounds like an over-exciteable third-rate-Grey-Team-making-a-tank-in-a-barn-out-of-an-old-mattress-and-a-broomstick-handle montage in a hollywood-ran-out-of-ideas remake of Golden Girls.
Sean85
20th March 2018, 16:46
Sounds very ‘Americanised’. Well suited to Super Bowl coverage or NASCAR… but not F1. Sign of the times with Liberty throwing everything to beef up American intrest. If they were desperate to go down the famous movie composer route they should have asked Hans Zimmer (Rush/Batman/Inception soundtracks)!!
IndianInGlasgow
20th March 2018, 17:26
Sounds like Pirates of Caribbean meets Transformers meets Avengers meets (here comes sacrilege) Driven. Liberty looks to have missed a beat releasing it without visuals. As a marketing company they should not have allowed people to imagine visuals in their mind.
ajpennypacker (@ajpennypacker)
20th March 2018, 17:28
I didn’t love it but it was ok. I expect that it will come together nicely when played with a nice montage of F1 highlights. Honestly, what I have found to be most shocking are people’s overreactions to it. Some venting their anti-American feelings. Some asking for Bernie’s return. I maintain my position that F1 is trying to reach no audiences, open new markets which is great.
The old guard wants F1 to continue to be a niche sport, a subset of a subset, where anything that makes he sport look less like 1982 is an attempt to destroy the DNA of F1.
Getting back to the theme song… I found I a bit cliché and synthesized. But it’s too early to judge. It’s not meant to be played on its own, but accompanied by images, video, F1 logos, the emotion build-up prior to a race. I am willing to give it a chance, and even if I still don’t like the music, I’m sure eventually it will just put a smile on my face because that music will remind me of the beginning of a F1 broadcast. But that’s just me. I’m just a diehard F1 fan.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
20th March 2018, 17:31
I think it’s liveable. I feared I would cringe everytime I saw the start of an F1 broadcast, and I won’t be doing that, so this will do. I didn’t bother listening to the end, but the early part had hints of High Chaperal. People say “The Chain” was the best tune, but when I listened to it on Youtube it didn’t strike me as compelling. I liked the sound of a Doppler shifting… is it a V10 engine? that accompanied the logo on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast. When I was looking at the various F1 tunes there was one called “Trance” with a racing motorcycle and I liked the way the body of the music was sourced from an engine revving. So while I would have preferred something more dynamic and “mechanical”, the music has to go with the logo.
F1 fun
20th March 2018, 17:36
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
I’ve read most of these comments and the majority of people hated the new theme tune! Quite frankly, I don’t see the problem with keeping ‘The Chain’. Last year i thaught the pink Force India car was a bad idea but it grew on me. I just don’t think this will. Too much has changed for 2018 and I don’t like much of it. New F1 logo, F1 halo and now this. Who’s coming up with all this?
Makana (@makana)
20th March 2018, 17:45
I think the logo and font re-brand have potential and are really “racy”, but this is more epic movie soundtrack vs Japanese anime – not thrilling intense or catchy, it’ll work in the background but not as a opening sequence. I wish it was a faster rhythm too!
Kenny Schachat (@partofthepuzzle)
20th March 2018, 17:58
Ironically, I think it sounds like the typical soundtrack to credits roll and the *end* of a typical action movie and just as long (i.e. too long). Very cliched, uncreative and unimpressive. Fake “drama”.
VR
20th March 2018, 17:59
This is highly derivative. The Game of Thrones theme comes to mind.
Daniel McCarthy (@danvtr9)
20th March 2018, 18:04
The old theme was perfectly fine. This is awful and to me is another thing that didn’t need changing like the logo.
Liberty are slowly but surely ruining F1 for me. I understand over time things need to change but not the theme music or logo. It’s all too Hollywood for me.
As others have said if it aint broke………
falken (@falken)
20th March 2018, 20:55
What theme ? There wasn’t a global theme before – each country would use it’s own.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
20th March 2018, 21:57
@falken I’m guessing he meant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BJx_ll01fU
George (@george)
20th March 2018, 18:20
Well it didn’t exactly blow me away. As people above have noted, generic. Still, hopefully it will sound better in context.
Ian Thompson
20th March 2018, 18:20
Yeah, I agree, the new tune and the new logo are terrible.
It’s typical of what happens today when ‘companies’ have new owners or new personnel. They feel they have to justify the change and usually ruin what was perfectly OK before.
The Limit
20th March 2018, 18:37
Listening to this I expect to see Captain Jack and the Black Pearl, not a racing car. I am not convinced.
Andrey Baydin (@minilemm)
20th March 2018, 18:46
Embarrassing.
W-K (@w-k)
20th March 2018, 18:53
In my household there are those that watch too much TV and those that only watch interesting things on TV, like an F1 race.
This tune is not distinctive enough to say to the F1 viewers it’s time to take over the TV.
In other words it’s boring and got no style. Just like those that watch too much TV.
Steven Lissemore (@bugman293371)
20th March 2018, 19:36
Sounds more like the theme tune for the safety car!!!
Makana (@makana)
20th March 2018, 23:55
:D :D :D Spot On.
JC
20th March 2018, 20:05
Hope it works out better than the font. All those horrible a’s!! Eurgh. Did they even test it for titles/subheadings? At least the article body is better.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/technical/2018/3/tech-tuesday—how-red-bull-have-played-barge-board-catch-up.html
Spawinte (@spawinte)
20th March 2018, 20:30
1:12 to 2:08 makes an alright bed for pre race grid rundown or post race results. The rest is a bit Jerry Bruckheimer back to the 90s.
Markp
20th March 2018, 20:41
Awful. Ferrari, Merc and McLaren will set up a new series just to not be associated with this rubbish song.
Sviat
20th March 2018, 20:53
Paul Oakenfold made a much better job when he wrote Speed.
Sviat
20th March 2018, 21:02
Racing simulator, GTR2 – Assassin is also much, much better sound.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
20th March 2018, 21:53
the Chain (or failing that the first minute of Iron Maiden’s Killers would be close enough imo) would’ve been better but after listening to a wee bit of what they’ve got I don’t really mind too much. I mean, the music played ramdomly mid-race in Formula E is (was?) worse for me.
This track would work better being listened to on its own (which is not that well but not too bad, I guess), or as some happy-ending Mass Effect 3 soundtrack, than as an F1 soundtrack, but oh well.
Racer X (@ubangee)
20th March 2018, 23:06
I don’t write music but, I say this is about 2:14 minutes too long…
Joe Harvey
20th March 2018, 23:42
Sadly, the great composers who could have done a better F1 theme in their sleep, John Barry, John Williams, James Horner, have passed away. Randy Edelman might have done a good job. His “The World of the Heart” – Main title to Dragonheart sounds nice and with a montage of drivers, cars and circuits could work. Theme can be heard here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j67nQT2UAMs
How about other nominations through 31 March and then a vote on the nominations closing midnight GMT Friday, April 6 with winner announced before the Bahrain GP, April 8.
Kieran Vella
21st March 2018, 22:16
Uhh, You know John Williams is still alive right?
Scottie (@scottie)
21st March 2018, 0:49
I reckon they can use the section that starts at 1:11 to 1:29 pretty well, I liked that. Imagine that as the grid lines up and the five lights get going at the start of the race.
The rest of the tune just feels a little generic… I dunno, didn’t sound too interesting or exciting. Dunno if i’d even look up if that was in an ad. I don’t know which part of that I’d want to hear at the 5min horn of a race with the logo animation…
I hope they’re not using the whole song in their opening coverage, far too long for that use!
user
21st March 2018, 1:05
god, i want bernie back
Duncan Snowden
21st March 2018, 1:39
So, er… did he actually write it for F1, or did he just dig something out of the Marvel rejects bin and slap some engine samples over it?
Sheesh. So far, Liberty have hardly put a foot wrong, but this feels like almost as big a mis-step as the driver introductions at Austin. And I’ll tell you this: if they play it over any of the action in the World Feed, Formula-E style, any chance of me subscribing to anything goes right down the plughole without touching the sides.
Sergio B. Perez (@sergio-perez)
21st March 2018, 2:26
Too much excessive brass. Over complicated melody at the beginning, however, starting at 1:17, it becomes interesting with a good build up and a simple enough emotional melody. Still excessive brass. And not a fan of the formula car sounds. It was also something I didn’t like of the Rush soundtrack. Probably lacks a bit of that memorable, emotional punch the Zimmer, Williams and Antonio Pinto soundtracks usually have. Solid, but not memorable.
Sergio B. Perez (@sergio-perez)
21st March 2018, 2:34
I mean 1:12. Also, being a video editor myself I see this music to be used in different scenarios. Its effectively made in very clear sections and can be used for stats (ESPN American Style), driver intros, Podiums, build ups. The problem is, by trying to be so many things, as a single track its too much, too complicated, and too unfocused. For example, the part starting at 2:30 is clearly a podium, hero like sequence, that has nothing to do with the interesting and emotional part that builds up from 1:12 to 2:30.
Anyway, its a “tool” to emotionally “paint” images we will see. Hopefully they don’t go for the Corn on the drivers introductions by going with the “hero” part of this.
Mark Zastrow (@markzastrow)
21st March 2018, 5:23
I think Brian Tyler’s best score is still the one he wrote for the Children of Dune miniseries. This will probably work just fine on a broadcast, but it’s a tired rehash.
https://youtu.be/mtcnt_VkvGU?t=1m21s
Warner (@warner16)
21st March 2018, 5:27
Why couldn’t they just use the ‘Engineered Insanity’ video as the intro/music for F1. I would’ve loved to have seen that appear before every F1 session or even just the race because i think the whole feeling of F1 creating a buzz for the fans really delivers in that video.
Jonathan Teague
21st March 2018, 6:05
I bit of sick came up when listening to that. Whats next Iron Man flying in for the trophy presentation in Austin?
dandy
21st March 2018, 6:08
People criticize changes. No surprise. I am pretty sure that if nobody knew “The Chain” and Liberty presented it as the theme everyone will cry “What? A guitar in 2018?”.
I think that F1 new theme is ok. It is not “NFL on FOX” but have some spirit. I think that after a season we will remember it very good. If you try to imagine all the best F1 moments instead of Avengers/Pirates while listening you will like it.
As for me the best F1 theme of all time is this:
https://youtu.be/7jAzarFOl5I
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
21st March 2018, 15:43
most people would probably want it mixed a bit louder too.
Basil (@flyingbasil)
21st March 2018, 6:19
Cheap, unoriginal and just plain terrible.
Something that would fit a patriotic american movie 10 years ago. Even Transformers have better soundtrack.
It just sounds like on of those bad superhero movies before Marvel.
Why couldnt they hire Zimmer or Shore to do the work?
DavidS (@davids)
21st March 2018, 7:08
Exactly as I thought it would sound when they announced Brian Tyler.
They should have used a composer known for creating melodies, like John Williams or Ennio Morricone.
Theme music should be something that you can hum from memory, or can recognise in a completely different arrangement. For example, The Chain is pretty easy for someone to recite, just like a lot of the works by the two composers I mentioned. The melodies they have created are so powerful that they are frequently used out of the context of the films they appear in to evoke a certain concept. If you want to portray someone as evil, play the Imperial March. If there’s a Mexican Standoff, play the theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
In a couple of years when the current style of movie music is dated, the theme will be dated and they’ll have to replace it.
If they’d gone for a melody, they could’ve created something versatile and memorable.
Mark (@mrcento)
21st March 2018, 7:47
You just know at some point, somebody has said to him
“Yeah, it’s fine i guess… it just doesn’t scream motorsport and drama to me, it’s a bit…..movie-ish….”
And he’s gone
“we’ll throw in some cars! nothing screams cars more than cars!”
Karthikeyan (@kart2611)
21st March 2018, 8:34
Alright we got the theme now. Can we have Vin Diesel for the next promo? Maybe a bit he jumps from a Merc over the Red one.
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
21st March 2018, 9:40
I’ll be honest, this made me feel slightly better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3-FGJ3nMPw
Someone has put some recent F1 footage against it…
johnnyef1
21st March 2018, 9:41
When The Chain comes on, it’s the wifes que to get up of the sofa and walk out the room it’s my que to turn the volume up to max, get up, run about and sing it out loud! I get so excite, I feel like a kid! Same for when I’m driving and it comes on the radio. Max volume, hit sport mode and I feel like an F1 driver! I don’t think the new theme music will ever give me the same feeling, unless I’m watching a Michael Bay movie.
F1 Alleycat (@f1alleycat)
7th April 2018, 16:20
johnnyef1
Hahahaha LOL! It’s a similar scenario in my house with me jumping up excitedly then playing air guitar & air drums to The Chain whilst trying to sing (loudly & very badly) along! Good to know I’m not the only person who does this sort of thing. The difference between us is my husband & kids watch on with great amusement at my antics & at least one of them usually hangs in there to see the race with me. :D
KaIIe (@kaiie)
21st March 2018, 15:04
I quite like it (or at least some parts of it). Unsurprisingly sounds like something out of a film soundtrack. But I fail to understand why this was made as a three-minute piece: what will be the use of it? Are they actually going to be playing it in its entirety during the broadcasts?
Pedro Paulo
21st March 2018, 15:09
This is the best.
https://youtu.be/MJ2uTpbCvTQ?t=23
Mark
21st March 2018, 19:08
LAME!!!
cowboy cleric (@cowboycleric)
21st March 2018, 22:26
It’s quite… bad. I really hoped they would go this path
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgiBkydMW8k
The best in my opinion.
Markp
22nd March 2018, 22:38
Hamton is the resident music expert in F1. He loves music and spends time in the studio….should of let him have a crack at it.
The chain is not the full song nor the start, its the solo from the middle of the song.
Kaitlynn Allen
3rd April 2018, 13:25
um, sounds like its from a low budget action movie.
They’d have been better off with this….
https://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/track/solar-storm_41337