What convinced Will Buxton to switch from F1 to IndyCar

As a long-time Formula 1 broadcaster and the voice of Netflix: Drive to Survive, Will Buxton makes no bones about his move to become IndyCar lead commentator being the hardest decision he has made in his life.

“This is a massive sliding doors moment, and the kind of opportunity that doesn't come around very often,” he tells The Race.

“And it's very much taking that leap. It's scary, really scary. I'm not going to shy away from that.”

After more than 20 years following F1 around the globe, and most recently fronting its F1TV coverage, Buxton will be absent for the start of the 2025 season as he instead takes up his new role on Fox’s IndyCar coverage.

While the move from F1 to IndyCar is not one that would seem obvious to many, in part it makes it a homecoming of sorts – with Buxton having previously worked in the series for NBC.

The catalyst for the switch came from three key conversations Buxton had with figures he knows well from both paddocks.

“I was having dinner with James Hinchcliffe at the Brazilian Grand Prix and he said: ‘Are you sorted for ‘25?’ I said: ‘Actually, I'm not.’

“He replied, ‘OK, would you be willing to talk to Fox about IndyCar?’ I asked if they would be interested in talking to me? And he was like: ‘Yeah, your name came up in a meeting!’ So I said let’s have a chat.

“I never imagined in a million years that there would be an opportunity to switch full time to IndyCar. But it became really clear really quickly that there was this amazing opportunity, and the kind of opportunity that doesn't come around twice. If I turned it down now, I don't know if it ever would have appeared again.”

Buxton held talks with Fox in the subsequent weeks and, as he pondered whether to take the role during a family holiday over the winter, it was advice from those close to him in racing that sealed the deal.

“There were two people that I spoke to about it,” he said. “One was Leigh Diffey, who obviously was the outgoing IndyCar commentator, and somebody that I've worked with for many years through the NBC days.

“We are very, very good friends. I just said to him: ‘a) should I do it? And b) do you think I can do a good job?’

“Leigh was incredibly positive, and he's always been a huge supporter of mine. He's like a big brother to me, and a tremendous guide and a mentor for me.

“His faith that I could do it, and that he was also happy for me to do it, was a huge factor in me accepting it.

“Then other one was Zak Brown. I said to Zak: ‘I think IndyCar can be incredible, but do you believe that the growth potential is there? And, from everything you've heard from Fox, are they as serious as they seem about it?’

“Zak replied with a text message that was three words, and it just said: ‘F**king do it!’ That was literally all I needed to know.”

Growth potential

While Buxton is relishing a return to the commentary box itself – with his period in the booth for GP2/GP3 from 2009 still providing some of the happiest memories of his life – there is good sense of timing with the switch too.

Fox, in taking over the IndyCar broadcast rights for this season, has already shown in its initial advert that it is going to be bold with its coverage and wants to expand the series' profile.

Buxton thinks the sky is the limit for IndyCar as he hopes it can enjoy the kind of boom that F1 experienced under Liberty Media.

“Fox is renowned stateside as doing things a bit differently,” added Buxton. “They're all about being bold. They're all about taking chances.

“But the biggest thing is they want to tell stories. They want to make heroes of these drivers, and they want to grow the sport and place it firmly where, I believe, it should be in the United States.

“There's no reason why IndyCar shouldn't be the most popular form of motorsport here, and that means making it bigger than NASCAR.

“Will that take time? Absolutely. But that's why they've assembled the group that they have.”

Working alongside Buxton at races will be former racers Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell.

WHY FOX DEAL MATTERS SO MUCH TO INDYCAR

Jack Benyon

You might be wondering ‘why should I care about IndyCar getting a different TV backer?'. But the signs are there that this is a blockbuster move for the series.

The IndyCar fraternity hopes the Fox deal will help initiate the boost in popularity the series has wanted, expected and needed in recent years. Since its 1990s heyday, IndyCar has paled into insignificance in terms of TV numbers compared to NASCAR, which has moved well clear as North America's biggest motorsport.

The increase in F1 races in America and its influx of fans from Drive to Survive has also given it fresh US momentum, while IndyCar has stagnated slightly in comparison despite having such a well-regarded on track product.

Along with increased investment from owner Penske Entertainment, the additional eyes Fox could open to IndyCar are considered absolutely pivotal in its bid to grow.

And where previous partner NBC split IndyCar across its main network and much smaller viewership sub-channels like Peacock, all of the races under the new Fox deal will be on Fox’s main channel and its app.

Through the off-season Fox has been using playoff NFL/college football programmes and games to shine a light on IndyCar, putting the series in front of literally tens of millions of potential new fans.

The series rented out the Indianapolis convention centre for the recent content days, putting a massive amount of effort into the content it has got prior to the 2025 season. For this season, it will have drones and new driver-eye cameras to help boost the coverage quality, too.

And the icing on the cake was a recent TV commercial centred around Josef Newgarden, which was the perfect blend of humour, a sprinkle of rivalry - with Alex Palou - and celebrity, with NFL megastar Tom Brady doing a cameo. That commercial has been seen by well over one million people on X alone and the game it was aired during drew 39.5 million viewers.

“I think what Fox and IndyCar are doing is freaking phenomenal,” said Arrow McLaren star Pato O’Ward - who will likely be one of the next drivers to have a commercial air, having filmed his already. 

“The commercial that just came out with Josef I think was so well done. It's fun. It's edgy. It's flirting with that line where people do get engaged and you're like, ‘hey, this is different’.”

Newgarden added: “I think they're going to be transformative for this series and what they've done so far has been tremendous and we haven't even hit the ground running yet. Very excited for what we have to come.”

The only thing that is currently uncertain is the failure of a new streaming platform in America means it’s not yet clear where people will be able to stream the series at a reasonable cost. But the series is believed to be working on a solution, possibly linking up with another, lower cost streaming provider.