Formula 1 teams push the limits both on the track as well as off it, so it's to be expected that certain new web related features get held back until the very last minute. The off-season often provides a chance to reinvent the ordinary, and this time around teams haven't disappointed.

Mercedes GP

Before anyone had even arrived at the circuit on Friday, Mercedes GP pulled the covers off a revamped website, which amongst other things offers a 3D look at the MGP W02. There are also unique interviews and video content, plus from Saturday, live session telemetry. This fills us with much joy and we'll have a further post exploring the data in depth later this weekend.

McLaren

Talking of telemetry, McLaren's rather fabulous Race 1.0b live tracker made a welcome return under a new guise for Free Practice 1. Initially the offering appeared considerably reduced in functionality, but a post session demo revealed there is much more in-depth live analysis to come.

Team Lotus

Not to be outdone, Team Lotus launched two fan-facing initiatives in the past 24 hours. First up is a new Twitter account called @sparkteamlotus, which sees a different fan commentator chosen for each race to provide updates of trackside happenings.

Jarno's car crew are working their socks off already to repair his car. These boys seriously put the effort in. Amazing teamwork on display!

sparkteamlotus

As well as text updates, a stills camera is provided to bring people into the heart of the action.

The second innovation comes in the form of live streaming video. Braving the elements at 1am in Hingham, Anna Goodrum and her cameraman have been proving insight into what goes on at the factory, while their F1 cars are racing around on the other side of the planet.

The first few videos have been a series of short introductions into the various areas of the factory, including meeting the overly friendly guard dog and consuming a drink of pure enegry. Watch out for more live Lotus streaming via TwitCaster and lets hope F1 sees more ad-hoc live streaming in the near future.

If you've spotted something cool that we've missed, do let us know in the comments below and we'll take a look.