Why Did Will Buxton Move To IndyCar? A Detailed Analysis

After an off season with rumblings from the IndyCar fanbase and media, it was announced on January 10th 2025 that Will Buxton would be departing Formula 1's F1TV for the newly minted IndyCar broadcast on Fox.

While Will is somewhat of a character in the world of F1, it did have several more diehard F1 fans scratching their heads at his choice. F1's tagline is that it's the 'pinnacle of motorsport', and quite a few F1 fans consider IndyCar to be a step down instead of a lateral move. So why did he take a step down when he was one of the top dogs on a broadcast he helped create?

Especially because his response when asked why he moved wasn't colorful. Will simply said Because IndyCar has the greatest racing on Earth. Some may think that Buxton was being a bootlicker to his new broadcast, but as a fan of both series, I'm beginning to think he's not wrong.

As a subscriber to F1TV, I was only surprised that Buxton was leaving because of the pillar he was to the F1 community over the past ten years. With the rise of Drive to Survive in the USA creating the 'DTS generation' of F1 fans, Will Buxton became the face of the sport that wasn't on the track. While his talking heads and commentary can be somewhat ridiculous at times, Will is a very knowledgable person, and for a lot of fans is the 'guy they know that's not a driver'. He even published an entire book in 2024 entitled Grand Prix. Though older fans criticize the 'DTS generation', and therefore Will, it will be a large change for the F1 world, especially F1TV.

Whether you like it or not, if you're an F1 fan, you know that Will has worked hard to create memorable moments. He's also the main anchor of the F1TV broadcasts, though he has had plenty of help. Though this does create the question of who will replace Buxton as the main anchor outside of the commentary box, I want to stick with IndyCar.

If you are a big Will Buxton fan and enjoy racing, there will be no surprise as to why Will has shifted gears once the racing begins, so I'll start there. If you only follow Formula 1, you probably think of IndyCar as the series drivers go to 'when they lose their seat in F1'. However, that really isn't the case lately, unless your name is Romain Grosjean. Like many things in the F1 world, it was stated by a few people in the fan space and has become a talking point that's not true. Though some of it has to lay in bias created by the F1 world that any series besides F1 is inferior, some of it also has to lie in the style and pace of racing itself. It's not easy, it's not as structured, it honestly should be intimidating for an F1 driver.

A good comparison to the differences in the two is comparing the top ten of a graduating class. F1, for all of its perceived toughness, are the five out of ten who are structured rule followers. They follow a strict set of guidelines with very little wiggle room, and the guidelines keep getting stricter and stricter. While this is a dual ended sword, it's the sword that F1 wields. IndyCar, on the other hand, are the other five students that you have no clue how they got into the top ten. Wild, rambunctious, unpretentious, though they're all from different walks of life (teams), they respect each other and put up a united front in what's happening. Rules change at the drop of the hat, and the IndyCar drivers can pivot easily in that. Their tenacity is what has gotten them to the top and equal with F1 drivers.

An example of this. Last season in F1, we saw the marshals touch the car of Nico Hulkenberg, which resulted in a black flag. A black flag meant that he could no longer continue in the race, even if his car could still function. In IndyCar, if the car stops working, they typically just send it back to the garage for the mechanics to fix, and then send the driver right back out. Yes, even if they are five or ten or twenty five laps down. And sometimes, by sheer force of will, that driver wins the race. It truly is a race to the end, a bit more lawless.

Perhaps it is IndyCar's lawlessness that had a part in Buxton's response as to why he moved to IndyCar.

Perhaps it is its unity. Due to the FIA seeing F1 as its crown jewel, it pays less attention to IndyCar. This allows them a little bit more wiggle room to talk and develop as one, instead of being as highly focused as F1 is on the crackdowns coming from top down for things like swearing.

Some of that unity comes from the fact IndyCar is owned by one person - Roger Penske - via his Penske Entertainment Group. Penske is a firm pillar of American racing, as well as an entrepreneur who owns much more than IndyCar. I knew what Penske was long before I knew of IndyCar - or even F1 - because Penske Automotive Group does business in my area. Penske knows how to do business, and that is how the series has developed since 1994.

Though Roger owns it, he is not above reproach, as it is starting to feel like the FIA is. In fact, Roger's own team, Penske, received two disqualifications and their third driver received a ten point penalty at last year's opener at St. Pete. This was due to an illegal use of the push to pass system in IndyCar. Though the decision did take a few weeks to pass, it did pass, and the season moved on. While there were potshots between the bigwigs in IndyCar, it wasn't the all out brawl that would have happened in F1. The respect is there, unlike in F1.

Another point of unity - one that F1 would shudder to even consider - is the engine switch in the middle of the 2024 season. All ten teams changed their engines mid season uniformly to a hybrid system due to the complete transformation set for 2027 being set back. No messy back and forth through favorite media channels about preferences or whining from so and so, it was put down and so they did it. An earlier example of this is the implementation of the aeroscreen -also called windscreen - in the cars. It took less time than Colapinto had in the Williams in 2024 for the idea to be brought to the table, agreed upon and put on the cars.

Imagine if things were that easy in F1.

A final unity point is something that is a consistent topic in F1 - penalties. The call for consistent stewardship in F1 is a long standing one, especially after last season. The 2024 season was full of ups and downs and all arounds, of penalties being called and recalled, and it frustrates everyone. Fans, drivers, teams, probably even the stewards and the FIA. But it doesn't matter in IndyCar. It doesn't matter if the owner of the series owns your team, or if you're the world champion, or if you're the rockstar of the sport or if it's your first race in. You are not special; if you get a penalty, you must serve it. And again. And again. After a season of the headaches of penalty or no in F1, debates every race, debates you can't escape because you are a main figure who is asked these questions, critiqued every single time for your response, it has to get taxing. I have to assume Will moving to a series where they aren't as heavily analyzed by everyone because they are relatively even sounds like a dream.

While it may be the lawlessness of IndyCar in how to get to the finish line, or the unity that drew Buxton away, another element has to be the joy. Though DTS did spawn a new generation of fans, primarily in the North American market that the FIA has so desperately tried to break into, it has caused quite a few issues. Social media is an echo chamber, whether of positive or negative things, and sports fans are sports fans. My driver's the best, yours is the worst, I'm going to regurgitate what my favorite news outlet told me to prove you wrong. DTS brought fans, but it also brought stans, which is a whole other level of fan.

If you don't know what a stan is, I'll define it for you. Based off of the song Stan by Eminem, it is an extremely or excessively enthusiastic fan. Combine that with reality tv and you've got a recipe for trouble, and not just from young girls. To present your ideas, your journalism, and not only be critiqued by those with an opinion, to be blasted by stans foaming at the mouth to defend their driver with no basis in fact, it has to be a giant frustration. You can't win.

Although IndyCar does have a reality show, it isn't anywhere as salacious as DTS. It mostly focuses on the Month of May (yes, it's capitalized) , which is the month of preparation leading up to the biggest race of the year, the Indy 500. If you're an F1 fan, think of squishing Monaco, Monza and Silverstone all into two weekends and you've got the 500. Also, it does take two weekends because the Indy 500 is a marathon, not a sprint, with several bars to clear before you're admitted entry. In this century, only a few F1 drivers have attempted it, and no full time driver has won it, because it is not easy. But the series being focused on that and not a yearlong struggle with heightened tension, it allows for a few less stans.

Not to say there aren't stans, but they're mostly for Pato O'Ward, and they tend to be a bit less rabid than F1 stans.

This allows IndyCar drivers something current F1 drivers are ridiculed about - joy. To F1 fans, there are certain ways to express joy that are acceptable - see Lewis Hamilton's win at Silverstone 2024 - and certain ways that are not. While I know George Russell isn't everybody's cup of tea, his jump for joy when he's on the top step is real. And then he's critiqued. Those who express less joy - a good example is most of the Verstappen wins of the 2023 season - they're critiqued.

IndyCar does the opposite; it allows for joy. In fact, it encourages it - in and all forms. When Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 for the second time in 2024, his joy was palpable through the screen. He disregarded etiquette - which would have been a big no-no in F1 - and went into the crowd to feel the moment with the fans. When Pato O'Ward won at Mid Ohio, breaking his losing streak and after a devastating last lap loss at the 500, his own version of the jump for joy was hailed as a triumph across the IndyCar community.

Another thing IndyCar allows for is raw emotion outside of joy. In F1, raw emotion is seen as less than. I will admit, sometimes the emotion in F1 is a little out of line, but a lot of acceptable forms of frustration receive punishment, and uneven punishment at that. When Lando Norris expressed excitement on the radio at Silverstone in 2023, he got a penalty for being unsportsmanlike. If Lando did that in IndyCar, it would have been briefly meme'd and then brought up again casually.

A side note; if there's anyone who has gotten on the radio and been unsportsmanlike on the radio, Lando definitely doesn't rank anywhere near #1 on the F1 list.

Anyway, back to raw emotion. IndyCar drivers do not hesitate to show it. Will Power is kind of known for his fits of anger and throwing the bird, though he does apologize when he calms down. IndyCar drivers like David Malukas can show up bleary eyed to the press and they aren't criticized as less than or have derogatory words used to describe them. They can show anger, they can show frustration, they can curse, they can do it all and the fanbase accepts it because they accepts they are human beings.

That extends out to the broadcasters. They're allowed to get emotional, get passionate, and while they're critiqued, it's nowhere near the level that F1 commentators are. They're allowed to show personality, make jokes with the fanbase, and engage. Though I don't think the hate cauldron will be making the same leap from NBC to Fox that James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell are.

Now we move into the more Buxton focused parts of this article, starting with the broadcast. One of my main gripes with F1 are the broadcasts that are available for viewing in the US. I know that some of this is because I'm American and F1 is an international sport, but the broadcasts tend to be a tad disorganized and even a little bit more biased. Every time I show a new friend an F1 race, I spend half of the introduction muted so I can explain what's going on. Sometimes, I get asked why they do things like the pit walk, and having to answer 'they just do' when it's a jumbled mess every week just doesn't cut it.

Something Will has that is different from the two returning IndyCar commentators is experience building a broadcast from the ground up. Despite the fact that IndyCar has been broadcast for years on television, and on NBC was a better constructed broadcast than either F1TV or Sky Sports, this year it's on FOX.

That changes everything.

Unlike F1, FOX will be on a normal, easy to find channel. They aren't on an auxiliary channel that may change like ESPN or a streaming service in the US that you have to pay for to get decent and comprehensible coverage. On top of that, unless something changes, the FOX broadcast will not be like the NBC coverage either. No digging for guides as to whether you have to turn on Peacock or if it's on regular NBC. FOX is putting it front and center, making it equal to the other racing series they already show, NASCAR.

FOX is also putting money into it. Though it's early days and who is to know whether the fervor will last into 2026 and beyond, they're doing their best to promote every aspect they can. I see more IndyCar commercials now than I did when I was watching Peacock shows with ads. A diverse portfolio of ads as well, with primarily a driver focus. They want the fans to buy into the who, just not into the what, which is incredibly impactful.

Just this week, IndyCar dropped an ad for it with reigning champion Alex Palou.

There are rumors that another ad will drop with rockstar of the sport Pato O'Ward during the Superbowl.

Fox is using everything they possibly can to advertise, to get the word out, to get new fans. With this, they saw Will as a bridge between fans, a familiar face that would get people curious. They also saw him as someone who has done this before, is comfortable already with James Hinchcliffe during their time at F1TV together, and who is passionate about motorsport and has always spoken highly about IndyCar. Why not get Will Buxton if he's available?

Now we come to our final point, and the actual answer to what tipped the scales in IndyCar's favor. IndyCar's season only lasts six months, while F1's season lasts eleven. This starts in late February with testing to early December with a small spring break and then a month off for summer. That's almost double the season. IndyCar is located primarily in the USA, with only one small jaunt over the border to Canada. Less logistics, less time zone changes, and honestly, less weather changes as well. IndyCar primarily operates in spring and summer, and one season change is better than all four on the body while traveling.

Unlike the individualism of F1, IndyCar promotes a close, unified culture with a lot of drivers and personnel being parents. Will Buxton is a parent, and I'm sure the prospect of only being at work three days a week and flying back to see his family was tempting. He also said that he loves the US, and if his partner is willing, their whole family immigrating to the US so it's only a minimal flight could be a game changer. Two, three, four hour flights weekly instead of eighteen to twenty hour flights weekly does a lot less stress on the body. Especially because with IndyCar, you don't have to be in a major hub for it to work; you don't need to be in Los Angeles or New York City to get to your job, which can burn through a paycheck. Smaller cities with big racing hubs like Indianapolis, where a bunch of IndyCar drivers and personnel live, or Charlotte, a bit larger of a city but also the home of NASCAR, are also options. He could find an affordable quality of life here for his family while still pursuing what he loves.

So, for any Will Buxton fans reading this, we IndyCar fans welcome you. I hope this piece has helped you understand a bit of Will's thought process, and maybe even encouraged you to give IndyCar a shot this season. Though it'll be a bit different from F1, it's racing, just a little bit more equal. A little more unified. A bit more wild.

Hope to talk to you about it again soon!