Skip to main content

Insta360 cameras take a speedy ride around Monaco’s F1 track

Ahead of last Sunday’s F1 Monaco Grand Prix, Insta360 teamed up with Automobile Club de Monaco to offer racing fans a thrilling ride around the famous circuit.

Insta360 provided the cameras (a One X2, a One RS, and a Go 2), while the club organized a driver (current F1 star and Monaco native Charles Leclerc) and a car (Niki Lauda’s iconic 1974 Ferrari 312B3).

With the cameras firmly fixed to different parts of the vehicle, Leclerc hit the gas and showed off his driving skills as he hurtled around the demanding circuit.

The dramatic footage showcases what you can achieve when you combine breakneck speed with a bunch of carefully placed action cameras.

Insta360: Onboard with Charles Leclerc at the Historic Monaco Grand Prix

Note, however, that the video begins in a 312B3 that featuring the number “12,” but switches to another showing the number “4” — presumably because Leclerc crashed Lauda’s old car when the brakes failed on a bend. Oops! Insta360 evidently thought it best to leave the unfortunate accident out of the video, but you can catch it below (look carefully and you’ll spot Insta360’s One RS camera attached to the car).

Monaco Historic Grand Prix 2022 full race day live stream replay

The Monaco Grand Prix is famous for its uniquely challenging circuit that incorporates the city-state’s narrow streets and pushes the drivers’ skills to the very limit. The footage manages to convey some of the tight maneuvers that competitors need to make along the circuit, and also shows why it’s so hard for cars to overtake.

“Mounted on the car’s nose, side, and rear wing, One X2 and One RS covered all angles, capturing the ride in epic 360,” Insta360 said in a message alongside the video. “Weighing just 27 grams, the tiny Go 2 was used to get up close and personal with Leclerc as he piloted the car around the twisting circuit.”

Absent from proceedings was Insta360’s recently unveiled Sphere camera, though that’s designed to fit to a drone rather than a racing car.

In Sunday’s race, Leclerc, driving a rather more modern Ferrari than the two cars featured in the video, finished fourth, while Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez crossed the line first. Max Verstappen currently leads the F1 standings, with Leclerc in second place.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Camera Shootout: OnePlus 6T vs. Honor 8X vs. Pocophone F1 vs. Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro
oneplus 6t honor 8x xiaomi mi 8 pro pocophone f1 camera shootout comp feat

A wide range of exciting, capable, and very well-designed smartphones are available from Chinese device manufacturers at the moment, and all at different prices. The OnePlus 6T is probably one of the best known, due to a devoted fanbase and increased availability through U.S. carriers, but it’s by no means the only model we should be eyeing enviously.

At $550 (or 500 British pounds) and upwards, the OnePlus 6T is well priced, but the most expensive phone we test here. In contrast, the Honor 8X is just 230 British pounds or about $280, but it pulls the same trick as the OnePlus 6T -- having a higher spec than the price suggests. Then we have the newly launched Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, a 500 British pound smartphone (about $650 converted over) and the Pocophone F1 starts at only $300, despite having the same processor as the OnePlus 6T, and Mi 8 Pro.

Read more
Bullet time on a budget: Insta360’s $400 One X camera is ready for action
insta360 one x news top

Insta360, the 360-degree camera company, is back with a follow-up to the Insta360 One, called the Insta360 One X. The new model has a different design and a variety of features that further explore how the 360-degree camera can act like a drone, or re-create effects previously only possible with multiple cameras and a Hollywood-scale budget.

Let’s talk specification first. The dual cameras have an f/2.0 aperture and can shoot 5,760 x 2,880 video footage at 30 frames per second (FPS), or 3,840 x 1,920 at 50 and 30fps, or even 3,008 x 1,504 at 100fps. Insta360 calls these resolutions 5.7K, 4K, and 3K, respectively. Stills are 18 megapixels and 6,080 x 3,040.

Read more
Best Camera Deals: Save on Canon, Panasonic, Nikon, and GoPro
fujifilm x t4 review set 2 dm 1

Whether you're looking for the best digital cameras or the best travel cameras, there are a ton of options out there, sometimes too many options, especially for those who aren't familiar with the photography world. Luckily, we've done a lot of legwork for you and collected a range of great camera deals across the spectrum, so even if you want something more sports-oriented, like a GoPro, there are a couple of deals for those too. So, let's jump right into it.
Today's Best Camera Deals
One of our favorite deals is the Canon EOS Rebel T7 going for $400, as it's one of the better DSLR cameras on the market, and it has a reasonably budget-friendly price on it, making it a great starter camera. Of course, if you've been in the game for a while and are looking for a powerful upgrade, the Sony Alpha 7R IV is one of the best full-frame cameras on the market, and while it still costs a hefty $3,200, that's still $300 off the usual $3,500 price tag. That said, if you're looking for something more portable and action-oriented, you can't go wrong with the GoPro HERO11 Black Mini, although if you're a professional content creator, the GoPro HERO9 Black 5K is probably the one to go for instead.

Do I Need a DSLR or a Mirrorless Camera?
Like most things, this really depends on what you're trying to do. Mirrorless cameras have fewer internal moving parts, which generally means they can capture images quicker, so if you're taking pictures of action-packed stuff like sports or animals in the wilderness, a mirrorless camera is a great option. On the other hand, DSLR cameras are great for low-light conditions and are great for anything from portraits to landscapes. DSLRs are also cheaper and have much better battery life, as well as having a decade or two worth of lenses to choose from.

Read more