NBC is taking over Formula One coverage in America this year from longtime broadcaster SPEED. At first I was skeptical. Now I can't wait. It looks like the coverage will be what every single F1 fan has wanted for years. This is a good thing.
Now, I don't want to denigrate SPEED. I've enjoyed their coverage for years. But there were times when races would be tape delayed or cut off because they were on Fox.
The first thing that NBC is doing right is that every single race will be live. And beyond that, nearly every single practice and qualifying session will be live as well. After each race, there will be a 30 minute wrap up show with the broadcast team of Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett, and Will Buxton.
Four races will air on NBC: Monaco, Austin, Montreal, and Brazil. The broadcast team will be live at the track for Austin and Montreal. The British and German GPs have to air on CNBC due to scheduling conflicts.
Miss a race and forget to set the DVR? Every single one will be re-aired on NBC Sports the same day.
HUZZAH!
There will also be a show called F1 36. It has cameras follow a driver for 36 straight hours for behind the scenes access. Sebastian Vettel is the focus of the first episode.
While SPEED did do an excellent job, they just didn't have the budget to provide this level of coverage and access to Formula One. So, basically, we're getting the same broadcast team and we're getting a lot more coverage.
Seems to me like this is all positive. First practice for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix is live at 12 AM Friday morning/Thursday night. The race will be live at 1:30 AM on Sunday, March 17th.
I'm excited for the coverage. I'm also just excited to watch F1 again.