FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

NBCSN PRESENTS 15 HOURS OF MOTORSPORTS COVERAGE THIS WEEK, HIGHLIGHTED BY FORMULA ONE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

Racing Legend Mario Andretti Joins NBCSN’s Italian Grand Prix Telecast

“The level of talent is probably unprecedented.” – Andretti on Today’s Formula One

Live Race Coverage Begins at 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 4, 2013 – NBCSN’s 15 hours of motorsports action this week will be highlighted by live coverage of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday starting at 7:30 a.m. ET, with racing legend and 1977 Italian Grand Prix winner Mario Andretti joining the live telecast as a guest analyst.

NBCSN’s comprehensive coverage of the Italian Grand Prix begins on Friday morning with live coverage of practice at 8 a.m. ET. Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix will also air live on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET. Live pre-race coverage of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday begins at 7:30 a.m. ET, with the race slated to begin at 8 a.m. ET. F1 Extra, NBC Sports Group’s half-hour post-race show, will air immediately following the conclusion of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) cruised to victory in the Shell Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Aug. 25, increasing his lead atop the F1 Points Standings over Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) to 46 points with eight races left in the 2013 campaign. Vettel and Alonso have each won the Italian Grand Prix twice; Vettel won in 2008 and 2011, while Alonso took the checkered flag in 2007 and 2010. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) currently sits in third place (139 pts) in the F1 Points Standings, and took first place at the Italian Grand Prix last year.

In addition to its live coverage of the Italian Grand Prix, NBCSN’s motorsports schedule will also include TRANSLOGIC and Mobil 1 The Grid.

 

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)  
Thur., September 5 TRANSLOGIC: Green Garage Gods NBCSN 11 p.m.
TRANSLOGIC: DeLorean DMC-12 NBCSN 11:30 p.m.
Fri., September 6 Mobil 1 The Grid NBCSN 12 a.m.
F1 Italian Grand Prix – Practice NBCSN 8 a.m.
TRANSLOGIC: Green Garage Gods (Encore) NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Sat., September 7 TRANSLOGIC: DeLorean DMC-12 (Encore) NBCSN 12 a.m.
  F1 Italian Grand Prix – Practice (Encore) NBCSN 12:30 a.m.
Mobil 1 The Grid (Encore) NBCSN 2 a.m.
  F1 Italian Grand Prix – Qualifying NBCSN 8 a.m.
Sun., September 8 F1 Italian Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore) NBCSN 12:30 a.m.
  F1 Italian Grand Prix NBCSN 7:30 a.m.
  F1 Extra NBCSN 10 a.m.
  F1 Italian Grand Prix (Encore) NBCSN 1 p.m.
  F1 Extra (Encore) NBCSN 3:30 p.m.

 

COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports Group’s IndyCar and Formula One play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey will be joined by former race car driver David Hobbs and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett will also provide analysis. F1 insider Will Buxton will serve as the team’s on-site reporter from the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy.

Also joining the pre-race, race and post-race coverage is racing legend Mario Andretti, who won at Monza in 1977. Andretti’s distinguished list of awards and accomplishments include Driver of the Century honors by both the Associated Press and RACER Magazine, and over 100 victories during his five-decade career. Andretti also clinched the 1978 Formula One World Championship at Monza in his native Italy.

Andretti on joining NBCSN’s Formula One telecast: “I’m flattered to have been asked, and I’m looking forward to joining NBCSN’s iconic team of Formula One announcers. I hope they don’t expect too much because I’m a real rookie – I’ve only done one or two races, and I was paying attention to my son (former Formula One and IndyCar driver) Michael most of the time.”

Andretti on personal significance of Italian Grand Prix: “The Italian Grand Prix has particular significance and importance for me, being Italian and having seen my very first Formula One race right there at Monza. At that point, I can say my real dream of becoming a race car driver began.”

Andretti on the state of Formula One: “Formula One is really enjoying its glory days. It’s probably as well-positioned and interesting as ever. You have five world champions competing at the same time, all young enough to have long careers. The level of talent is probably unprecedented.”

FORMULA ONE ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA: NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will provide live comprehensive streaming coverage of the Italian Grand Prix, as well as practice and qualifying in the days preceding the race . Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Coverage airing on NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

Click here for the participating cable/satellite/telco companies offering NBC Sports Live Extra:  
http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2013/08/16/nbc-sports-live-extra-providers/

MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on the IZOD IndyCar Series, Formula One, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and all other motorsports racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.

MotorSportsTalk’s content is provided by top racing journalists and expert analysts, including:

  • Keith Collantine (@KeithCollantine), editor and creator of the F1Fanatic blog;
  • Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) creator of the F1 site RichlandF1.com;
  • Tony DiZinno (@TonyDiZinno), who has written for RACER Magazine and has covered IndyCar and NASCAR since 2006;
  • Writer Christopher Estrada (@estradawriting) who has written for the Boston Globe, FoxSports.com, created the Indy Racing Revolution blog and is a contributor to IndyCar’s IndyCar Nation blog.

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