'Drive To Survive' star Will Buxton is crossing the pond to call IndyCar for FOX
By Simon Head
If you're one of the millions of fans who have become enthralled with Netflix's behind-the-scenes Formula 1 docuseries "Drive to Survive", you'll be familiar with journalist Will Buxton.
The Englishman provided plenty of commentary on the twists and turns of F1 as one of the most prominent talking heads on the show, and he's been a regular in the F1 paddock as part of the F1 TV broadcast team.
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But that's all about to change. Buxton has inked a deal to switch championships, and will swap F1 for IndyCar as he leads the broadcast booth for FOX from the 2025 season.
IndyCar ended their nearly two-decade-long partnership with NBC after FOX acquired the rights to the series, starting with the 2025 season. And with previous lead commentator Leigh Diffey remaining with NBC to call NASCAR races from next season, Buxton heads across the pond to team up with IndyCar regulars James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell.
Buxton announced his move by posting a message alongside a photograph of one of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's famous bricks on his Instagram page.
"A decade ago I reported on my first Indycar races, including my first visit to IMS. I fell in love with the place immediately," he wrote.
"The history, the passion, the emotion that whips through the air as the cars rocket past you, sucking the air from your lungs, breathing tradition and understanding into your soul. On my final day, I was presented with a Culver block, one of the bricks that once lined the entire speedway. It was at the time, and remains today, the most humbling gift."
Buxton's enthusiasm for auto racing shines through in all of his broadcasts, and he's excited to bring that passion to IndyCar this season and beyond.
"I have always loved Indycar, always been enthralled by the excitement of its racing and stunned by the skills of its incredible drivers," he said.
"And while I always hoped that one day I might, I never imagined that I ever actually would have the opportunity to join the series full time. That I will get to do so in the role and with the responsibility that I do in 2025 is a tremendous honor. And while I am unbelievably excited, I am only too aware of the enormity of the task I am undertaking, and the trust placed in me.
"Racing is my life. My deepest passion. Its drivers are my heroes. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had a job for the past two decades that revolves around telling their stories. And beyond that, a job that I’ve always believed is about taking the fans on a journey, whether through the page or through the screen, to the heart of the racing world. To make them a part of the sport they love. That has been and will always be why I do what I do.
"I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone at F1TV for seven incredibly happy years. I’m so proud of all we created and all we built and I’m excited to watch 2025 shake out, admittedly, for now at least, from my couch.
"My year and my racing season will begin in St Pete.
"I’m so grateful to FOX for this once in a lifetime opportunity, so thankful to everyone at the NTT Indycar Series for the warm welcome they’ve already extended, and so invigorated for the years ahead. Indycar stands at the gates of one of the most exciting and important periods in its history.
"Alongside Hinch, Townsend and the world class team behind the scenes at FOX, I can’t wait to get started and to present to you all, the fastest racing on earth."
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