“I’ve Dedicated 23 Years”: Will Buxton on His Love for F1 but Maintains IndyCar as ‘Fastest Racing on Earth’

After establishing himself as a popular figure among F1 fans as F1TV’s lead journalist and presenter for the past seven years, Will Buxton has decided to make the switch to IndyCar in the US. While he remains passionate about F1, he has also begun to shower praise on IndyCar, calling it the “fastest racing on Earth.”

This is quite understandable, as Buxton will be part of Fox Sports’ official presenter lineup starting in 2025. Since the announcement of his move, Buxton has shared posts on IndyCar, reflecting on his F1 experience and expressing his excitement about taking on his new role in the U.S. He wrote on Instagram:

“I’ve dedicated 23 years, my entire professional life, to Formula 1. Reporting on it was all I ever wanted to do from the age of 13. Getting to play a role in telling its story has been the greatest honor.”

While the 43-year-old hopes to remain involved with F1, his primary focus is currently on IndyCar. He elaborated on his plans to help grow the IndyCar audience and restore its popularity among American racing fans.

“It’s a huge challenge, but a massive opportunity and one I am so grateful for. Few in the racing world would disagree that Indycar has the best racing in the world,” he added.

Buxton himself likes watching IndyCar and stated how he was hooked to the series when he first attended a race in 2012.

The 43-year-old also urged F1 fans, who may miss him on F1 TV’s broadcast, to give IndyCar a chance and tune in to those races as well. Buxton believes fans can develop a liking for both open-wheel series and that there’s plenty of room to enjoy both IndyCar and F1 races on a Sunday.

Is Buxton correct about IndyCar being the fastest?

Comparing two similar series like F1 and IndyCar in terms of speed and racing quality is largely a matter of perspective. However, each series has its unique characteristics. IndyCar features more similar cars, while the technical nuances of F1 machinery are truly unparalleled.

What this means is that IndyCar often has a closer field spread compared to F1, making races more competitive. However, the competitiveness seen in the 2024 F1 season provides a strong counterargument to claims that IndyCar consistently offers better racing.

There’s a good chance that 2025 will further strengthen F1’s case. Given how teams like McLaren and Ferrari closed the gap on Red Bull’s competitive advantage last season, it seems likely that a three-way title fight could unfold this year.

For the drivers’ title, there could be three to four solid contenders, which hasn’t been the case in recent years. However, Buxton won’t get the chance to cover that highly anticipated title battle, as he’s focused on making IndyCar drivers the center of attention.

What Buxton wishes to do in IndyCar

The F1 TV presenter discussed his goals in his new role at IndyCar, where he will work alongside former racer Townsend Bell and his F1 TV colleague James Hinchcliffe, who is also part of the IndyCar presenter roster. Buxton recently appeared on Hinchcliffe’s podcast to share his plans for offering a fresh perspective on how IndyCar drivers are portrayed.

The Briton aims to highlight the human stories behind the drivers, allowing fans to form a sentimental connection with them. This is something Buxton successfully achieved in F1 through F1 TV and Netflix’s Drive to Survive.

As a result, Buxton believes that audiences will develop favorite drivers they care about, leading to a more passionate investment in IndyCar. He admitted that he would first need to dive deep into researching all the drivers, as he is relatively new to the current roster.

However, the Briton is already familiar with how IndyCar operates, having covered the series for NBC from 2013 to 2017. When NBC lost the broadcasting rights to IndyCar, it prompted Buxton’s move to F1, where Liberty Media sought him out to lead their digital broadcast.

After that, he became a pivotal contributor to F1’s growth and also garnered a lot of fame via Drive to Survive. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact he can have on IndyCar.