Millions of Formula 1 fans will soon watch the breathtaking helicopter footage from the Zandvoort circuit. From the cockpit of a TV helicopter, a Dutch pilot directs the camera to the perfect shot, while below him F1 cars race over the asphalt at more than 300 kilometers per hour.
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Read the full interview in the special Zandvoort edition of FORMULA 1 Magazine. The magazine is now available in stores and can also be ordered here. Below is a short passage from the interview.
Anyone who thinks a TV helicopter simply flies circles above a circuit completely underestimates the craft. Björn Hazelhekke, the pilot who operates this helicopter, compares it to a carefully choreographed dance. “In cycling, it’s more about the peloton, the breakaway group, and the surroundings,” he explains. Formula 1 works differently and is all about speed. “Then you hear that Verstappen and Hamilton are coming. You really have to catch them, and do it in such a way that you see the speeds.”
During every free practice, Hazelhekke and his cameraman Lieven Hermans practice the so-called specials: pre-rehearsed camera movements where height, speed, and timing must be accurate to the second. Each corner requires its own approach. Wind, the speed of the cars, and the position of the helicopter determine whether the shot succeeds. These movements are practiced endlessly, after which they are used at the right moment during the race.
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Everything for the perfect shot
The result is the kind of image that TV viewers often take for granted: a car shooting through a banked corner, while dunes, grandstands, and the sea glide past the screen in one smooth movement. For TV viewers, such a shot may last five seconds. For Hazelhekke and his cameraman, sometimes an entire training weekend is behind it.
“I’m actually steering the camera,” says the pilot with a smile. “I look at Lieven’s monitor image for a large part of the time. He looks through his lens, I look outside and at the screen. Together we try to make the perfect shot.”
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Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
