The Formula 1 grid will look very different in 2025 compared to last season, but for many fans, so will the sport’s coverage.
Anyone who consumes Formula 1 through F1TV will recognise journalist and broadcaster Will Buxton.
Buxton has been covering F1 for decades, commentating on some of the sport’s junior categories before stepping up to lead F1TV’s coverage.
However, Buxton – who is also synonymous with many fans as one of the voices of Drive to Survive – is making a switch of his own in 2025.
After covering McLaren’s first Constructors’ Championship victory this century, he’ll be leading Fox’s coverage of IndyCar.
There are fewer races in IndyCar – with the season’s 17-race calendar starting at the Firestone Grand Prix two weeks before F1 heads to the Australian Grand Prix for its season opener.
However, the series, which includes the Indianapolis 500 – known as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing – is hoping to grow alongside the popularity of Formula 1 in the United States and globally.
Buxton spoke to The Race about his decision to switch series and McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown shared a short message with him that convinced him to make the leap.
Zak Brown’s three-word message to Will Buxton ahead of making F1 to IndyCar swap
Talking about the advice he sought ahead of potentially leaving the F1 paddock, Buxton said: “There were two people that I spoke to about it.
“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.
READ MORE: Will Buxton pinpoints the ‘catastrophic’ decision which cost Ferrari the 2024 F1 Constructors’ Championship
“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 [the] 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—— do it!’ That was literally all I needed to know.”
Which moments could Will Buxton be covering on this year’s Drive to Survive?
Buxton may be most famous for his role in the hugely popular Drive to Survive series on Netflix and for explaining the circumstances surrounding various scenarios in the sport.
Franco Colapinto’s promotion at Williams set tongues wagging in the paddock as he was chosen ahead of the likes of Mick Schumacher and Liam Lawson.
His promotion may be Buxton’s input before Lawson’s subsequent return to RB and post-season move to Red Bull in place of Sergio Perez.
READ MORE: Will Buxton recalls the Drive to Survive scene that left Sergio Perez ‘furious’
Perez’s final season at Red Bull is likely to be a point of conversation within Drive to Survive this year, with their cameras and boom mics spotted all over the paddock throughout the year.
Drive to Survive picked up parts of Max Verstappen and George Russell’s feud which could be even juicier than the details revealed by both drivers.
Buxton’s move highlights how exciting IndyCar could be this year considering the storylines he’s leaving behind in Formula 1.
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