The new Formula 1 season is underway and teams are searching for every possible competitive edge. One little-known tool in their arsenal: photographers.<\/p>\n
Motorsports photographer Jamey Price, who PetaPixel featured earlier this year<\/a>, says that fans aren\u2019t all that aware of spy photography. <\/p>\n Price explains that Formula 1 is a prototype series, meaning every team enters a slightly different car based on their interpretation of the formula rules. <\/p>\n \u201cThe teams utilize photographers to kind of figure out how to make their own cars go faster but also keep their competition in check,\u201d says Price. <\/p>\n Price has been working in Formula 1 for over a decade, during which time he has developed personal relationships with team members. Some of those staffers will ask Price to take photos of a specific part of either their car or an opponent\u2019s car. <\/p>\n Price says that teams will often hire a spy photographer for an entire season, making it a full-time job. The F1 2026 season is slated to run for 24 races. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a very different kind of motorsports photography; Price says that he finds it \u201cincredibly boring\u201d from a photographic perspective, as there isn\u2019t as much artistry to it. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just trying to freeze the cars so you can see all the nitty-gritty details, you can see tires degrading and marbling and all the things I don\u2019t necessarily care about as a photographer doing artistic coverage.\u201d <\/p>\n While fans may not be aware of F1\u2019s spy photographers, he says the practice has been around for a long time \u2014 dating back to the 1980s. Back then, teams were forced to wait for film to be developed; now photos can be transmitted immediately from a photographer\u2019s position on track, allowing teams to see what\u2019s happening in real time.<\/p>\n There are all sorts of reasons that F1 teams want photos of their car or other teams\u2019 cars; Price says that it sometimes means shooting with \u201ccrazy\u201d settings like 40,000 ISO and a shutter speed of 1\/12000 to ensure the car is frozen sharp. <\/p>\n One example he gives is Nico Hulkenberg\u2019s maiden podium for Sauber at the British GP<\/a> last year. Price says a big reason for the German driver\u2019s success that day was the team\u2019s photographer taking photos of Hulkenberg\u2019s tires trackside so the engineering team could monitor wear. <\/p>\n Price adds that, despite the fact he doesn\u2019t enjoy spy photography personally, he finds it fascinating that F1 teams will utilize high-res still images to help them achieve their goal of faster lap times. <\/p>\n For more insights from motorsports photographer Jamey Price, head to his YouTube<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and X<\/a>. <\/p>\n