Neither CCTV nor the local station Six-Star Sports had a tradition of broadcasting F1 practice sessions. At this time, even qualifying sessions often went unaired.
However, today, in an unprecedented move, both were broadcasting it.
CCTV's "F1 Live Stream" program started right on time. Sang Tong was once again the host, and he got straight to the point in his opening:
"Welcome, everyone, to the 'F1 Live Stream' program. Today, I'll be bringing you live coverage of the first free practice session for the FIA Formula One 2014 Singapore Grand Prix."
"For this practice session, the Mercedes-Benz Team will be using a driver from our country, Wu Shi, to replace the German driver Rosberg in the number 6 W05 car..."
Compared to the serious tone of the CCTV broadcast, the atmosphere over at Six-Star Sports was much more cheerful.
Brother Bing and Brother Fei were in the Six-Star Studio early. As soon as the feed came through, Brother Bing couldn't wait to speak:
