NBC SPORTS GROUP BEGINS EXTENSIVE 2014 FORMULA ONE™ COVERAGE THIS SUNDAY WITH AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX ON NBCSN More than 175 Hours of Formula One™ Coverage Across NBC, NBCSN and CNBC This Season NBC to Air Comprehensive Race Coverage of Monaco, Canadian, United States and Brazilian Grands Prix NBC Sports Live Extra to Live Stream All Practice, Qualifying and Grand Prix Coverage Airing on NBC, NBCSN and CNBC Sebastian Vettel Goes For F1-Record 10th Straight Win at Australian Grand Prix This Sunday at 1:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN Live Coverage Starts Thursday Night with F1 Countdown at 9 p.m. ET STAMFORD, Conn. – March 11, 2014 – NBC Sports Group begins its comprehensive coverage of the 2014 Formula One World Championship season this weekend with live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix this Sunday at 1:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, the first of 19 F1 races and more than 175 hours of total coverage across NBC, NBCSN and CNBC this year. Coverage of the Australian Grand Prix begins Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a live edition of F1 Countdown. Live coverage from Melbourne begins with the first practice Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET, followed by the second practice at 1:30 a.m. ET on Friday morning. NBCSN will present live coverage of qualifying at 2 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, followed by live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix at 1:30 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. NBCSN will also air an encore presentation of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. ET. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) will look to build off his impressive 2013 season, following his fourth straight F1 World Championship. Vettel enters the season aiming for his 10th straight victory following nine consecutive wins to close out the 2013 campaign. A victory in Melbourne for Vettel would set the F1 record for most consecutive wins, surpassing Alberto Ascari’s nine victories spanning the 1952-53 seasons. Last year, Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) took the checkered flag at the Australian Grand Prix for the season’s first win. COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports Group’s Formula One full announce booth returns for a second season, with lead race announcer Leigh Diffey providing live play-by-play commentary. Diffey is joined by veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, and analyst Steve Matchett, a former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team. Rounding out the broadcast team is F1 insider Will Buxton, who will provide live reports on-site in Australia and at all 19 F1 races this season. FORMULA ONE™ COVERAGE STARTS THURSDAY ON NBCSN NBCSN’s coverage of the F1 season begins with extensive programming on Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. ET with a 30-minute special, Sebastian Vettel: On Road and On Track, examining the four-time F1 World Champion’s rise to stardom. A live edition of F1 Countdown with Diffey, Hobbs, Matchett and Buxton airs at 9 p.m. ET, followed by live coverage of the first practice from the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. NBCSN will present Road To Ferrari at 11 p.m. ET, an hour-long feature following Will Buxton’s journey from the Hungarian Grand Prix to Maranello, Italy, where Scuderia Ferrari F1 racing team is based. In addition, NBCSN will air Horse Power, an hour-long feature highlighting Scuderia Ferrari’s preparations for the 2014 season following the biggest changes to the technical rules of the sport in over two decades. Following is this week’s coverage schedule for the Australian Grand Prix on NBCSN: Date Program Time (ET) Network Thu., March 13 Sebastian Vettel: On Road and On Track 8:30 p.m. NBCSN F1 Countdown 9 p.m. NBCSN Australian Grand Prix - Practice #1 9:30 p.m. NBCSN Road To Ferrari 11 p.m. NBCSN Fri.,, March 14 Horse Power 12 a.m. NBCSN Sebastian Vettel (Re-Air) 1 a.m. NBCSN Australian Grand Prix - Practice #2 1:30 a.m. NBCSN F1 Countdown (Re-Air w/ Practice #2 Update) 5 p.m. NBCSN Sat., March 15 Mobil 1 The Grid 1 a.m. NBCSN F1 Countdown (Re-Air) 1:30 a.m. NBCSN Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying 2 a.m. NBCSN Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying (Re-Air) 6 a.m. NBCSN Sun., March 16 F1 Countdown (Re-Air) 1 a.m. NBCSN F1 Australian Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. NBCSN F1 Extra 4 a.m. NBCSN F1 Australian Grand Prix (Re-Air) 6:30 a.m. NBCSN FORMULA ONE™ ON NBC NBC will present live coverage of four F1 races over the course of the 2014 season. NBC’s coverage begins with the Monaco Grand Prix on May 25 at 7:30 a.m. ET, followed by the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, June 8 at 2 p.m. ET. NBC’s F1 coverage continues with the United States Grand Prix (Austin) on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. ET, and concludes with the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Group’s announce team of Diffey, Hobbs, Matchett, and Buxton will be on-site to call the action from Monaco, Montreal (Canada) and Austin (U.S.). Due to scheduling conflicts, live coverage of the Great Britain, German and Hungarian Grands Prix will air on CNBC, NBCUniversal’s fully-distributed business channel. 2014 FORMULA ONE™ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (Subject to change, all times ET): Date Grand Prix Time Network Sun., March 16 Australian Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., March 30 Malaysian Grand Prix 3:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., April 6 Bahrain Grand Prix 10:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., April 20 Chinese Grand Prix 2:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., May 11 Spanish Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., May 25 Monaco Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBC * Sun., June 8 Canadian Grand Prix 2 p.m. NBC* Sun., June 22 Austrian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., July 6 British Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC Sun., July 20 German Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC Sun., July 27 Hungarian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC Sun., Aug. 24 Belgian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., Sept. 7 Italian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., Sept. 21 Singapore Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., Oct. 5 Japanese Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., Oct. 12 Russian Grand Prix 6:30 a.m. NBCSN Sun., Nov. 2 United States Grand Prix 2 p.m. NBC* Sun., Nov. 9 Brazilian Grand Prix 1:00 p.m. NBC Sun., Nov. 24 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN *Entire broadcast team on-site F1 EXTRA NBCSN’s post-race show, F1 Extra, will air live after every race this season. Post-race coverage for Canada, USA and Brazil will air on NBC. The 30-minute wrap-up show will be handled by the F1 team of Diffey, Hobbs, Matchett and Buxton.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 21:37:28 +0000