Sky Sports has revealed that its news channel is to cover the forthcoming launches and pre-season tests.

Sky Sports News will offer coverage throughout this season with two dedicated reporters working amongst the teams at testing and development, plus trackside at every race.

Rachel Brookes and Craig Slater will attend the factories, test sessions and every race as Sky promises up to six days of coverage from each Grand Prix, with on-site reports beginning each Tuesday and running through the week to post race reaction. As well as following the team launches, the new channel will attend the pre-season tests at Jerez and Barcelona.

"This is the ultimate news service for F1," said Sky Sports News HD Executive Editor, Andy Cairns. " Our reporters will be trackside and in the Sky Sports News HD studio ensuring viewers are always up to date with what's happening on and off the track. And viewers with iPads will be able to follow our F1 coverage wherever they happen to be via the new Sky Sports News app which features on-demand video, the latest news and interviews, data as well as Sky Sports News itself."

Sky's dedicated F1 channel will be provided at no extra charge to all Sky TV customers who take both Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 or who take Sky's HD pack of channels. It will be found at 408 on Sky's on-screen guide, after a scheduled move of the Sky Sports channels. Sky Sports viewers without the Sky+ HD pack will receive a standard definition version.