A final salute to Formula One on NBC Sports

Sunday was the final Formula One race to be broadcast in the United States by NBC Sports. As the series moves to ESPN in 2018, we say goodbye to the team.

It is no easy task bringing the complexities and aura of the Formula One world championship into the homes of fans across the United States each week. For the last five years, that responsibility has fallen on the men and women of NBC Sports.

Led by the team of Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett, and Will Buxton, the peacock network broadcasted their final F1 Grand Prix on Sunday. In 2018, coverage of the Formula One world championship will move to ESPN and ABC, but much of the shoulder programming fans have come to expect will not make the move.

Instead, F1 management has opted to cheapen the product for the American audience by using an in-house announcing crew based in Europe, with little to no pre or post-race coverage. Gone also will be NBC’s staple off-track programs like Off The Grid, as well as the F1 television team many have grown to love.

While the world championship makes the move to the worldwide leader in sports, Leigh Diffey will be staying put. He will remain with NBC Sports, covering events like IndyCar, NASCAR, the Olympics, and rugby.

David Hobbs and Steve Matchett, meanwhile, will likely slip into retirement, with little room elsewhere among NBC’s motorsports platforms for them to fit in. Will Buxton, finally, will try to find employment elsewhere, having worked remotely for the last five years for the peacock network. He may even pop up on another television network somewhere in the world covering F1.

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There most certainly will be a large void left in the motorsports landscape with Formula One departing NBC Sports. Prior to this move, NBC and NBCSN covered each of the three most watched racing series in the United States (the other two being NASCAR and IndyCar).

Additionally, NBC Sports is chiefly responsible for increasing the F1 audience in the United States year after year, with 2017 on track to be their most-watched ever. Regardless of the opinions of the new bosses at Liberty Media, NBC has left an indelible mark on the world championship for years to come.

What many will miss about NBC’s coverage of the sport will be the comprehensiveness of the work they did. There was never a time where the network wanted to just show the race, and then move on to bigger and “better” events. Formula One did not serve as a stopgap against not having enough live programming. Instead, NBC and NBCSN made it one of its tentpole programs, helping establish the peacock as the home for international events.

The jury still remains out on exactly how F1 will be covered on ESPN and ABC. With production and play-by-play set to be run by Formula One Management, it may not have the same feel and connection to the audience that American fans will be seeking. But regardless of what happens with how the sport is covered, fans will continue to watch, comment, and hold the men and women who cover the sport accountable.

Next: 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Results

You can see the full farewell from the Formula One on NBC Sports team here, along with the final essay presented by Sam Posey. From all of us at Beyond The Flag who cover the world championship, we will miss the entire NBC Sports team. And we thank you for your service to racing and Formula One.