In Formula 1, the F1 calendar is just the list of races happening throughout the year. Saying it’s your first weekend on the calendar means it’s your first race event of the season.
A sprint weekend is a special Formula 1 race format with an extra, shorter race. It’s more hectic because it influences where cars line up for the main race.
The F1 paddock is the busy team area at a Formula 1 race. It’s where the teams work on cars and coordinate what happens during the weekend.
Concept
rules controversy
“Rules controversy” means people are arguing about Formula 1 rules. When rules are unclear or change in a big way, it can affect how teams build and race their cars.
Concept
simulation said they would
Teams use computer programs to estimate how fast the car should be after updates. Then they test it in real races to see if the computer prediction matches reality.
“Regs” means the rulebook for the racing series. If the rules change, teams and drivers have to adjust their cars and habits before they can get consistent performance.
Concept
month off
A “month off” means there weren’t races for a while. That can be good for resting and planning, but it also makes it harder to keep improving because drivers and teams lose practice time.
“Reps” are practice laps. After a break, drivers need those practice runs to feel comfortable and consistent again.
Concept
gelling as a team
“Gelling as a team” describes how well a racing crew and drivers synchronize—communication, strategy, and feedback loops that improve car setup. The speaker notes it’s something you can mostly build at the racetrack because that’s where you can test, learn, and adjust quickly.
It means making sure the computer model matches what the car really does. If it doesn’t, teams can waste time or make the car worse with changes based on the wrong info.
It’s a shorter qualifying event that helps set where the cars start for the main race. Teams push hard, but they also have to think about tires and the car lasting.
SQ2 refers to the second segment of sprint qualifying (the “Sprint Qualifying” session breakdown). It’s used to describe performance in the later part of the sprint qualifying format where teams aim to secure the best possible grid position.
This is the qualifying session that sets the starting positions for the main Grand Prix race. It’s basically the car’s best one-lap speed under race-weekend conditions.
An upgrade package is a bundle of new improvements the team installs to make the car faster. The risk is that it might also make the car handle worse in a way they didn’t expect.
IndyCar is a major kind of race series in the U.S. with open-wheel cars. It can overlap with Formula One weekends, which makes it harder to follow everything at once.
This means teams often update and improve their race cars almost every week or race. The host is saying IndyCar usually doesn’t change as much from week to week as F1 does.
A practice session is time during a race weekend when drivers go out to get comfortable with the track and dial in the car. It’s often the first step before qualifying and the race.
Concept
quality session
This is the qualifying part of the weekend where drivers try to set the best lap time. Your qualifying result affects where you start the race.
NASCAR is a popular U.S. racing series where cars race on mostly oval tracks. The speaker says they follow it because they like it and because they interact with that world through TV.
A “PR line” is the official, carefully worded story someone sticks to in public. It’s what they say to look good and avoid problems, not necessarily what they really think.
The Atlantic series is a stepping-stone racing series for drivers. It’s where racers often build experience before moving up to bigger competitions.
Topic
indie car broadcast rights
“Broadcast rights” are the agreements that determine who is allowed to televise a racing series. “Indie car” here is almost certainly referring to IndyCar, and the rights explain why NBC had the coverage James Hinchcliffe was working toward.
They wanted an announcer who would feel familiar to viewers in North America. It’s basically about choosing the right on-air personality for that audience.
This is a NASCAR racing series where the cars are pickup trucks. They’re saying they still race there when they can, even after stepping back from full-time racing.
F1 is Formula 1, the top level of open-wheel racing run by teams around the world. In the context of the interview, Hinchcliffe is talking about explaining F1 to non-experts on broadcast.
Topic
craftsman truck race
The “craftsman truck race” is a NASCAR event where the cars are pickup trucks. It’s a different kind of racing than IndyCar or F1.
Topic
F2
F2 refers to Formula 2, a feeder series that helps develop drivers for Formula 1. The transcript mentions a hypothetical schedule where F2 would run on the Indy 500 weekend, highlighting how series calendars can overlap.
Andretti refers to Andretti Autosport, the well-known IndyCar team associated with the Andretti racing family. In the segment, it’s used in the context of adding a “fourth car” for the Indy 500.
The Indy 500 is a famous 500-mile race in Indianapolis. It’s a big deal in open-wheel racing, so when someone talks about “doing the Indy 500 again,” they mean a major target race.
An open test is an early practice session where teams try things out and learn how the car behaves. It can hint at who’s off to a good start, but it’s not the final answer.
“Traffic” here means other cars on track that you have to work around. Being comfortable in traffic helps a driver keep good lap times instead of getting boxed in or losing rhythm.
“Opening day of practice” is the first big day teams use to dial in the car. After that, it’s easier to tell who’s truly fast because teams have more of their planned setup ready.
Fox is the TV broadcaster being credited for investing in IndyCar coverage, including production technology and on-air presentation. The hosts attribute part of the recent growth in viewership and attendance to Fox’s efforts.
“Crashed out” means the driver had an accident and couldn’t continue the race. It usually counts as a non-finish, which hurts their results.
LIVE
I don't care what you have to do, get him on the broadcast, he'll be gold.
There's a lot, you know, so how do you do that at the same time as having to do your indie car full-time job?
I sleep a lot less than I'd like to.
One name who's gonna win the Indie 500.
Welcome to Speed with Harvick and Buxton, fuelled by Poet.
And today it is me on my lonesome, well not on my lonesome because I have a guest,
thankfully, otherwise it would just be me talking for half an hour on my own.
My guest is a very good friend, a colleague, somebody I probably spend more time with than
my wife at the moment. Very unhealthy. It is Mr. James Hinchcliffe, how are you my friend?
I'm well, I mean, I don't think it's unhealthy, you know, I mean, I'm a good time, right?
If you had to spend more time with someone than your wife, I mean, it could be worse,
could be challenging.
In a very different way, in a very different way.
Buddy, how was Miami? Feels weird, we were both there, we didn't see each other.
I know, I know. Miami was great, as you know, it was stinking hot, it was very, very warm,
that gross kind of sweaty Miami heat, threatened to rain that never came.
But yeah, nice, you know, first weekend for me on the F1 calendar this year, nice to see
everybody again. Sprint weekends are always manic, as you know, and we managed to avoid the monsoon
that was threatened on Sunday, which is always a good thing.
Um, everyone will want to know, what's the vibe actually like in the F1 paddock this year?
Because there's been so much talk, obviously, about the controversy about the rules and then
a month off enforced because of sort of the global political situation.
But getting back to racing, was there like a real excitement about getting back to racing?
Was there trepidation about the new rules being put in? Like, what was the general feeling?
I think that there was excitement to go back to the racetrack, certainly.
I feel like with the rules tweaked, everybody was cautiously optimistic.
I think that, you know, nobody thought it was going to be a complete game changer, and it wasn't.
But everybody, the kind of overwhelming theme was directionally correct, right?
And then of course teams all had their first, well, most teams had their first big upgrade
package. I think there was a lot of excitement and anticipation about, was the hard work going
to pay off, you know, were these upgrades going to actually produce the lap time that the simulation
said they would? So, yes, the drivers are still dealing with and getting accustomed to the new
regs. But I think there's a little bit more of a, you know, let's get on with it. They are what
they are. We're actively working on improving it, but we got to get racing. Let's get on with it,
I think more so than you may have seen in the first three weekends.
A U.S. team, a new U.S. team, I should say, on the grid this year in Cadillac. I know,
obviously, you're very close with the guys who run that team. I feel like there wasn't as much
kind of chat about Cadillac this weekend, as I might have expected, but I was watching it from
the U.K. But then I know that, obviously, the majority of what people see in the U.S. is from
that very same U.K. broadcaster. What was it like for the Cadillac gang? Because I know they had
about a million guests, but how was it? Because I saw Graham Loudon in the airport and he was
pretty excited about getting back to racingways and the fact that they'd had like a month off to
be able to really go through a lot of processes. But then at the same time, he was also quite
tentative about the fact that they'd had a month off, and what they really needed was reps,
and he was worried they were going to get sort of out of that flow that they'd got into over
the opening couple of races. Yeah, I think they were in a bit of a unique scenario for that,
exactly that reason. There was pros and cons to the races being cancelled and having that force
break. And it's also kind of the only team that, alongside of an upgrades package, could kind of
work on gelling as a team, and you can only really do that at the racetrack. So I think there was
probably a little bit of trepidation coming in because the other thing, Willie, is as you know,
you can bring a bunch of parts to the car, but if they don't correlate with what the simulation
is saying, it's a bit of a disaster, right? And we've seen very successful, very long-term,
tenured teams have issues with that in the past. So for Cadillac to show up with their first kind
of stab at proper upgrades, it was a little bit of a litmus test for them to figure out, you know,
whether there's all their equipment back at factory, back at base, is calibrated correctly
and correlates well. I think what came out of it was a very positive weekend for them. You look at
how quickly they got on top of everything on Friday, probably outkicked their coverage a little bit
in sprint qualifying, which was great to see, only a couple 10s out of SQ2, which is phenomenal.
Yeah, huge. I think it reset a little bit and kind of went back to maybe a proper baseline for GP
qualifying, but the drivers both said, you know, a big improvement on performance of the car
didn't introduce necessarily any unwelcome handling characteristics, which is always,
you know, a risk of bringing a new upgrade package. And then I think commercially, it was a huge
success. Like you said, a ton of guests were there. They had a lot of events. You know,
in the States, Chaco doing a round of golf with Scotty Schaeffler, you know, pretty cool,
pretty cool sort of program. So big, big deal to have your first race on home soil,
only your fourth Grand Prix. And I think it was, again, positive in a lot of ways.
You and I worked together for the first time on the F1 Tour. And it's thanks to you that I'm now
with Fox doing IndyCar. So again, and I have said this a number of times, thanks for that,
loving it. But I know how hard you work on an IndyCar weekend. I know how hard you work
on an F1 weekend. But when we were working together, your IndyCar season was done. And so
you could focus on F1. How hard is it for you to put the work in, to stay on top of everything
that's going on in Formula One? Because there's a lot, you know, it's the drivers, it's the teams,
it's the politics, it's the upgrades. There is so much that I know when I was working Formula One
full time, I couldn't get my head around every single element of it. So how do you do that
at the same time as having to do your IndyCar full time job? I sleep a lot less than I'd like to.
I think is the short answer. Because, yeah, to your point, I mean, it's such a good point that
I think, you know, people that haven't done it, you know, it's harder to realize than you obviously
have because in IndyCar, we're not worried about upgrades week over week. Maybe there's some kind
of big shift over the off season, but there's rarely anything like that. The politics are not
what they are in Formula One, certainly. And I think just the global reach of it, you know,
there's so much more written about a Formula One race, you know, over the course of the
kind of four days that you're at the track than any other race series on Earth really.
And the challenge for me is this year is kind of the first year where if it's not a weekend where
IndyCar and F1 conflict, you know, I'm there, right? So I'm at all the IndyCar races. And if F1's
racing and IndyCar's not, I'm at every one of those, which means that every time F1 races and
I'm not there, I'm working my full-time job on the IndyCar side. So I'm doing all of that stuff
on IndyCar and then going home at night and, you know, the hours that are leading up to,
you know, either at night or in the morning or certainly the Monday when I get home, I've got
to just thrash through a weekend's worth of Formula One information. Some of it's gossip,
some of it's, you know, just race results and driver quotes and team quotes. And
it is a lot to stay on top of for sure. I find it possibly easier than you do,
because I'm jet-lagged most of the time in the States. So I'm awake at 2, 3 o'clock in the
morning and can chuck on a practice session. But do you have to catch up, as you said,
like pretty much all after the weekend? Because I know invariably you and I will be watching
on an iPad a quality session or a race in the truck at the IndyCar track, because it'll
pretty much always happen before our race. So we can, it's almost a nice way to kind of
sort of decompress and take some of the stress off, just kind of watching that in the background.
Yeah, just it kind of transports you for a sec, doesn't it? And just gives you that bit of
reset. And it's nice to get some tips from Jake C. How do you actually do commentary?
And same for me from Julian. Honestly, what I've started doing well, because a big part,
you know what it's like when you're on the road a lot, it's hard to sleep well, it's hard to eat
well, it's hard to stay active. And training is a big part of my life. It's an important thing for
me. But all these things take time. And so what I've learned to do is combine a little bit. So
in the gym, and I've found out how to have websites read me the articles. So I'll just
have my earphones in go for a run and I can go on f1.com or motorsports.com, click on an article,
and it just reads it. So yeah, that's so cool. Or if you know, if I'm doing a strength day,
I'll warm up for half hour on the treadmill, I'll just walk and I'll have my iPad and I'll
read through articles as I'm walking. So I've found ways to sort of be a little bit more time
efficient. I thought you were going to say you watch the sessions, you wait and you watch the
sessions while you're in the gym. But actually having the articles read to you is brilliant.
I love that. Who do you read? Who do you trust? Well, so I've got kind of my three go-tos every
morning and then several times throughout every day are racer.com, f1.com and motorsports.com.
I hit those three multiple times every day to get everything IndyCar, everything Formula One.
I still have to, I stay on top of Vimsa because I still compete in it from time to time. I stay
on top of NASCAR because I like it and we have some interaction with that world through Fox and
everything. So, but those, those three sites and those, you know, the two series especially,
I try to consume as many times in a day as I can. You are the perfect guest for speed
because of that. How did you find your transition to Formula One? Because I know
very well it's not an easy paddock to go if you're not, you know, if you haven't been there for
decades or you haven't sort of established yourself and worked your way up. To come in as a driver
analyst on f1 TV, having not driven in Formula One, you could have really alienated a fan base
that immediately fell in love with you. I know why because you're a wonderful human being but
were you ever worried about what your reception would be and how kind of, I guess, pleasantly
surprised have you been that you are seemingly the one thing that f1 fans can agree on?
That is, that is an overwhelmingly and I think unfairly kind assessment. Well, thank you.
No, I was terrified and I still am. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know. I'm waiting
for everybody to realize like, no, he actually doesn't know what he's talking about. He's had a
school for a few years but, you know, having never raced in the series, it's a lot harder to have
that credibility, right? And so I'll never forget, my first race with f1 TV was Austin in 22. You may
know this young lesser known Spanish driver named Alex Palo was doing FP1 from McLaren that weekend
and I warned him ahead of time. I was like, dude, as soon as you get out of the car, I'm going to
need you for like 20 minutes because I just need to, I need to download your brain and learn
everything that I can about what it's like to actually drive one of these cars with a driver
for going through. So from the driving standpoint and having credibility on that side of things,
that was kind of what I leaned on was him and then starting to get to know some people.
Honestly, you were the biggest help of all because you and I knew each other ahead of time, you know,
before that first race. So we had a friendship and you were so good about, you know, you were kind
of like my big brother, you put your arm around me, you're like, all right, let me show you who
you, here's who you need to know, who's where you need to go, here's how we spent time between
sessions, who's who's got the best espresso in the paddock, you know, you know, coffee. So that,
that was useless. F1, F1 has forced me to and it's now a regular part of my weekends, the old
padcoff with JC and Palmer. But, but no, you were so good, man. You introduced me to so many people
and, and then I had a few friends that I had from various race series over the, over the years,
some IndyCar people that I knew had moved over, some A1 GP people that I'd known 15, 20 years ago.
So slowly you start getting your people in the paddock and you get your, your finger on the
pulse a little bit, but it's a big, scary, intimidating paddock. There's, there's no doubt
about it. I mean, F1 is a behemoth. And you recently got to test an F1 car. So you know now, not just
from talking to the drivers, but from your own personal experience. Yeah. And I've, and I've
said that like that was last year's car and the rules are all different. So I already need another
test, which I'm angling for. But no, drive these cars, the drivers. Let's do a sim. Let's just do
that. That Haas and, you know, again, a friend of mine from years ago, Stuart Morrison, who works
there, he's had a communications there, kind of helped put the pieces in place and F1 TV was
involved and Naio Kamatsu approved it. And on the same day that Grozion got back into a Formula
1 car for the first time after, you know, his accident in Bahrain, I got to jump in afterwards
and turn a couple of laps. So I feel, I feel a little bit more qualified than I did beforehand.
Stuart, of course, you know, he goes back to A1 GP days, back to IndyCar days. You yourself,
I know that your broadcasting life actually began back in, in A1 GP. And some people might not know
that, that when you were a young racing driver coming up through the ranks, you were also a
young broadcaster coming up through the ranks, although it was probably more by chance than by
design. How important was it for you, I guess, from two sides of the coin, really, to kind of see
behind the curtain and understand how broadcasting was done and what broadcasters looked for? How
much did that help you in your driving career to, because you've always been great in front of camera
talking to the press. And I always feel the press has treated you quite, quite kindly. And the fan
base has always warmed you because you've been so good on camera. Did you learn that from broadcasting
from an early age? Was that always there? And then similarly, you know, when you get to this stage
of your life, how much did that give you hope that once the racing full time came to an end,
there was going to be a career doing something that you were equally as good at?
Yeah, it's a lot of elements to that. So,
sorry, I asked a multifaceted question today. No, no. I'm good. I'm just preparing you for a
lengthy answer. But a couple of different things. I think first and foremost, I was mentored by a
guy named Jim Bowie when I was young, who really helped me understand that being somebody and
something outside of the car was very important. A lot of people can drive a race car fast, right?
So what's going to separate you from another driver from a sponsor standpoint, if you're,
you know, the same speed is going to be how you talk to the media, how you can present yourself
in front of companies and things like that. And so I always, I never wanted, I never put on a
character. I never, you know, was anything that I'm not normally and you know me as well as anybody.
You know that what you saw every interview that I gave as a driver is just who I am.
But I think that was the lesson was a lot of drivers kind of put the barriers up, you know,
put the walls up, just, just tow the PR line, you know, whatever they're supposed to do.
And they're very different people away from the racetrack. And I get that and I respect that.
It's a difficult environment. You are someone different at work than you are at home. I was
just kind of always trying to be myself at all times. And that was again, kind of part of the
advice that, that Jim gave me and it really always served me well with the fan base and,
and helped me kind of just be comfortable in front of a camera because I felt like I could just be
myself. Whereas other drivers, they know they're not being themselves. They have to think so much
about what they're saying and what they're doing, especially, you know, young drivers when they first
come in. It's a tough, tough thing to navigate. The broadcasting stuff was, was, it was such a
fluke man. It's, and it's so funny. The, the credit goes to a guy called Jeremy Shaw. And,
and Jeremy was the one that kind of first started inviting me onto the international
broadcasts of the champ car races back in the day when I was running the Atlantic series.
And then through that, because that's what was playing in Europe. That's what you would have
heard in Europe. If you're watching champ car back in mid mid 2000s, when a one GP came about,
I was racing for a team Canada. And then when team Canada folded, I got offered a job on the
broadcast because people had heard me do champ car broadcasts, you know,
Oh, I thought it was a one GP came first, but it was no, it was, it was champ car broadcasts. And
then it, you know, it all comes full circle. So kind of put a pin in a one GP. So I did that for
a year before that series shut down. And then, you know, shortly thereafter, I got an indie car.
But when I was doing the champ car broadcast with Jeremy, I kind of got a taste of it. I got a
certainly an understanding and an education in broadcasting and how it works. So when I was
a driver, I hoped that I understood a bit better and try to, you know, be understanding and as
accommodating as I could people who work for the TV broadcasts at the time will tell you there
were times I was an absolute prick, but that's, that's just comes part and parcel with the emotions
of being a driver. Still feel bad about some of those. But, but no, it always kind of gave me
that thing in the back of my head of, you know, when I stop racing, this is definitely something
I want to look into. And so when I was starting to have those feelings and those thoughts, you
know, I went to it was NBC at the time that had the indie car broadcast rights. And I went to one
of the guys there and said, Hey, I think this might be my last year. I think I might be ready.
And it was a really short and easy conversation. And, and they, and they offered me the job.
And the, the pin that will pull out of the A1 side is how F1 came into it was at that same
time. And at the start of 22, F1 TV's lead commentator was a guy called Ben Edwards,
and Ben Edwards was a commentator on a one GP. So I had worked with Ben in the capacity as a
driver, but then also, you know, on the broadcast for that one year in a one GP,
they were looking for a North American voice. And in some meeting, Ben, you know, chimed up to
the boss at A1 saying, Well, I know a guy who's done a bit of TV work and now he's stopped racing.
He's gone into TV in the States. Maybe we could ask him if he's interested. And in here we are.
I remember when your name was first brought up as a possibility. And I was like,
anyone but him, I don't care. I don't care. I don't care what you have to do, get him on the
broadcast, he'll be gold. And yeah, brilliant and wonderful, wonderful decision by Ben to bring
you up. You said when you, when you were thinking and when you knew that your time was, was coming
to an end, how on earth do you come to that decision when racing is pretty much all you've
ever known when it's been your dream since you were a kid? How do you come to the decision and
the realization that it's time to stop? It is, it is by far one of the toughest things to confront,
I think, as an athlete, right? Regardless of what sport you're in, you started it, you know,
in the single digits of age, and you've done it for however many decades now.
Coming to that place where you really have to start thinking, okay, is this the right thing
for me anymore? And also what's next? I feel like a lot of athletes struggle so much with the what's
next part that they hang on too long to the, you know, what's now sort of thing. And I'd always
told myself that I never wanted to be one of those drivers that hung on too long, right? I never
wanted to just make up the numbers and, and, you know, thrash it out for one more year at the back
of the grid. I was always of the mindset that I wanted to, you know, in some sense go out in
your own terms, but also just at some, at some point go out when you still felt like you were
capable. And, you know, 2021 was, it was an up and down year on track for a bunch of different
reasons. You know, there was some professional reasons that, you know, things that happened in
that year that made me kind of realize, look, being a full-time driver is not easy, right? It's
very hard. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of commitment. It's a lot of sacrifice. I've been
doing it for 15 years. And a few things made me realize that like the balance of what I was
putting in versus what I was getting back from the sport emotionally and psychologically and
all those things, it, it didn't balance out anymore. And I got to a point where it was like all of
these, all these sacrifices that I'm making, all this work that I'm putting in can be undone by
somebody else who's not putting in the same amount of effort and work. And I, it's always been the
case. I've always known that. And I used to accept it blindly. And it just got to a point where it
wasn't, it wasn't adding up for me anymore. And, you know, the people have always said, you've
heard it a hundred times, as soon as you start thinking about stopping, you should, you should
stop. And, you know, like I, I still think I had speed in me. I had a podium in my, you know,
my last season, I still think that I could have even gotten better over than that year. But,
but all the different elements kind of combined at one time, some personal stuff, some professional
stuff. And for me, the, the timing was just right. But we live in an era and an age where
there are so many opportunities out there that although you've retired full time, you haven't
retired, retired, you raced craftsman truck series, as you said, you still do himself whenever you
can. How great is that that you, you know, you're able to dip in and pick and choose where you
compete and where you keep that kind of appetite assuaged. It's the best of both worlds. You know,
I'm so lucky, man. It's a, it's a, it's a cake I needed to scenario, honestly, because I am still,
I'm still a driver at heart, right? And there's still nothing better than, than competition on
the racetrack. You just, you love it and you'll never stop loving it. And so for me, you know,
I've, I've found this new world in, in the TV side of things and the broadcasting thing that I,
I also really just genuinely love doing. I love the people that I get to work with. I love
educating people about motorsports, teach them about IndyCar, trying to explain F1 and layman's
terms. Like these are things that I really enjoy doing. And again, the people, like I've been so
lucky to work with some incredible people on the broadcast side. And, and so to get to do all that
and have this sort of second career in the sport, but still, you know, dip your toe in every once
in a while and just scratch that itch and do Daytona 24 and do the craftsman truck race. I mean,
that was such a blast. And yeah, I mean, the biggest problem, I would probably do more kind of one
off things or the odd drive. If it wasn't for the fact I was so busy in TV, have very few weekends
left. Well, you've got to do less F1, mate. I remember we were, we were joking earlier in the
year when it looked like, and as the subsequently happened, F2 was going to run on the Indy 500
weekend. And so Colton Hurt, it wasn't going to be able to run. And we were like, oh, hinge,
you could have that, Andretti. So you could have that fourth car. And we were joking about it,
but there was this little glint in your eye of like, I'd take it. Would you do the 500 again if
it was offered to you? I would do the 500 again if it was the right program. And yeah, I haven't
told a lot of people, but in the first couple of years, I had a bunch of offers for Indy that I
turned down because to me, they weren't really, they weren't worth the, again, it's to do Indy
properly. You've got to commit in a way that is, it's very all in and it's, and it's all consuming.
And it's, it's, it's, it's a big risk as well. You know, there's a lot of different elements that
go into it. And if it wasn't, I don't need another starter ring, you know, I got more of those than
I have fingers. And you kind of don't want to sully the memories. Exactly. If it turns,
I don't want someone just to just be an also ran and have someone be like, oh yeah, you should
have stopped yours. Like, why is he doing this? You know, but in the right program, I still think
I could compete and, and I would still love to have that opportunity. But I'm also super content.
If it never comes up and I never do that race again, you know, I sleep well at night and I'll,
and I'll die a happy man. But if there's some weird perfect storm and a confluence of a bunch of
different things, yeah, I'm not going to say no. I mean, when you look at Elio at 51, coming back
for the Indy 500 again this year, the drive, the drive, the drive for five back again, you've got
time mate, you've got time on your side. Who do you think has got the best package this year,
given that we are rolling into the month of May will be in Indianapolis where you all,
you live that, but I'll be back in Indianapolis tomorrow. Who's looking good? Who do you think
is going to, going to factor this year? It's so funny, man. So, you know, we had the open test
and I was there for the first day of that and got to see that. And, you know, the open test doesn't
by any stretch tell you everything, but it can tell you certain things. And there's a few cars
that look quick on the road. And there's a few drivers that already look comfortable in traffic.
Some other guys will move up and down, but the ones that are good early usually stay pretty good.
Polo looks solid. No doubt about that. David Malukas looked very impressive.
He seemed very comfortable in traffic. Kyle Kirkwood didn't turn a lot of laps on that
first day, but the inherent speed in the car was really impressive. Jack Harvey had the fastest
no tow time both days, which is again incredible. And, you know, DR nearly, nearly took the whole
thing last year with Ryan Hunteray. So, yeah, there's a couple cars that are already looking
pretty stout, but I know that not everyone had all their, you know, bits and pieces on the cars.
So, I think opening day of practice on Tuesday after the GP will get a clearer indication of
where everybody is. Yeah, Jack looked great. Jack has the same engineer as did Robert Schwartzman
that took him to poll last year on debut, so don't sleep on Jack or Connor. DRR looking great. I
think both cars this year. It's going to be wonderful, mate, to be back in the booth with you.
How much do you enjoy in all that Fox is bringing to IndyCar and kind of this new beginning that
the sport seems to have, this new lease, because the numbers through the roof crazy good up 44%
on last years and last year's numbers equaled Formula One's numbers in America. Right, right.
No, it's like, it's incredible. I mean, the effort that they've put in, like you say, the
people that they've thrown at it, you know, we get to work with some awesome people behind the
scenes, you know, on the Fox side of things, the technology that they're bringing to the
broadcast, especially for the Speedway. You know, we have some incredible things that came last year,
some more cool things that we're working on for the next little bit here. I just think they've,
you know, they've put together a great team. IndyCar is doing a great job. I think it's now
is being promoted in a way that it hasn't been in a long time. And, you know, like you said,
the numbers are showing it and the Speedway is set to sell out this year earlier than it has in a
long time, which shows that people are excited to not just watch on TV, but come to the races.
We saw how many people were at, you know, Long Beach in Arlington this year. The doubleheader
with Cup at Phoenix was amazing. So there's just been so many great things and it's been,
it's been so cool being, you know, on the Fox side of it because they've been a driving force
behind a lot of it and just seeing the passion from, you know, our bosses there and then also the
people that we work with on a daily basis. I love seeing people that come in to, you know, those
roles that weren't necessarily IndyCar fans and some of them maybe, maybe not even were motorsports
fans and they get three, four races in and they're buying hats and merch and they're falling along
like, oh, can you believe like they're like spewing the facts and they're just into it now. And
when the people on the show, when people behind the broadcast are that into it,
I think it comes across on the broadcast. So I'm just really excited about that.
Me too, mate, massively. In the news this week, Carson Hosevara said he'd love to do the Indy 500.
Who would you love to see do the Indy 500? Carson Hosevara would be a good start.
I mean, we've, and we've talked about this. I think a lot of people have talked about this.
I'd love to see Connor Zillich try the 500. I think that would be like a really, really good
one. I was all for Kyle Larson doing it. I'd love to see Kyle come back and do it again.
I'd love to see more of those cup guys come and do it, to be honest. And I know the schedules
would never allow it and their bosses would never allow it, but man, it would be fun to get
an F1 guy to come back and do it the way Alonzo did in 17, you know, if we could have it so that
the schedules allow them to do it. I wouldn't expect anyone to miss a race like he did. That
was extenuating circumstances, certainly, but it'd be great to see some of those drivers,
you know, if willing, given the opportunity. It'd be awesome, man. It'd be awesome. Right,
we have to let you go. Thank you so much. Before I do, and before I see you this week,
I want one name. Who's going to win the Indy 500? Paddle Award. Oh, I love it. Redemption Arc.
Yeah, you guys got to happen. You know, you look at his, I know we talk a lot on the on the show
throughout the month of May about Centino Ferrucci's record, right? And he does hold the record of his
first seven starts all finishes in the top 10, none of them with top line teams either.
But then I was looking at Paddow's numbers and yes, he's been in better teams, but he also had
only one race in his first six starts. He's been the top six every race, except one where he got
crashed out with 10 laps to go while running in the top three. So, you know, his record there
is arguably better than, I mean, I don't know if I've seen one better for a guy that hasn't won it.
So you feel like it's got to happen for him at some point. And he's so capable. I think he's
ready. Let's just see if he can get it done. Yeah, man. That's a great shout. That's a really great
shout. Let's see if it comes true. James Angeloff, thank you so much for being on the show. We will
have you back on if you can spare the time to come back on because there's so much I want to talk to
you about. You have an opinion and you have an interest in so many different areas of motorsport.
You race in so many different areas of motorsport. So we'd love to get you back on and get your
feelings on everything. But for this week anyway, F1 IndyCar Box is ticked. I'll see you in 24 hours.
Sorry, I can't make dinner tomorrow. That's all right. I will see you soon. I look forward to
the whole month together. And I just got to say, I love what you guys are doing here. It's so cool
to see the speed name back, you know, in the motorsport realm. And we'll happily come back and talk
Aussie V8s or MotoGP or whatever you want. Anytime pal. Let's do it. I love it, mate.
About this episode
James Hinchcliffe talks through the overlap between his IndyCar life and his growing role around Formula One, including how he stays current, what he learned from testing an F1 car, and why he still feels nervous in the broadcast booth. He also reflects on stepping away from full-time racing before the sport started to feel like a grind, while still leaving the door open for the right Indy 500 opportunity. The conversation closes with his thoughts on IndyCar’s momentum and his pick for an Indy 500 breakthrough.
In this special edition of SPEED, Will Buxton sits down with one of the most beloved figures in North American open-wheel racing: "The Mayor of Hinchtown" himself, James Hinchcliffe.As the 2026 racing season hits its stride, Buxton and Hinchcliffe dive deep into the evolving landscape of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. From Hinchcliffe’s transition from the cockpit to the broadcast booth for FOX Sports to the technical shifts reshaping the grid, no stone is left unturned.Key highlights of the conversation include:
The Broadcast Booth: Hinchcliffe shares what it’s really like to trade a steering wheel for a microphone and the challenge of bringing "the fastest racing on Earth" to a global audience.
Indy 500 Insight: A look ahead at the preparations for the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and why the chemistry in the broadcast booth is just as critical as the setup on the car.
The State of the Sport: Will and James discuss the global growth of IndyCar, its intersection with F1, and what the future holds for the next generation of drivers.
The Driver’s Perspective: James reflects on the "pivotal moments" of his career and gives his unfiltered take on the current competitive field, including recent standout performances.
Whether you're a die-hard INDYCAR fan or a casual follower of the paddock drama, join Will and James for an insightful, high-speed conversation about the passion and precision that defines professional motor racing.
Chapters:0:00 Intro0:45 James Hinchcliffe Joins1:45 Vibe Around F13:00 Cadillac F1 Makes Debut In Miami6:25 Juggling INDYCAR & F19:00 Preparing For The Races14:45 Transitioning From Driver To Broadcaster20:25 Knowing When To Retire25:00 Receiving Offers To Drive INDYCAR26:45 Drivers To Watch At Indy 50028:10 INDYCAR & FOX Partnership30:00 Who Would You Like to See Race The Indy 50030:50 Prediction For Indy 50032:00 Outro
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