FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

NBCSN PRESENTS LIVE COVERAGE OF JAPANESE GRAND PRIX THIS SUNDAY AT 1:30 A.M. ET

Practice Airs Friday at 1 a.m. ET on NBCSN, Followed by Qualifying Saturday at 1 a.m. ET

Encore Presentation of Japanese Grand Prix Airs Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET

F1 Countdown Previews Japanese Grand Prix Friday at 5 p.m. ET

2014 Formula One Season on NBCSN Averaging 390,000 Viewers, Up 92% from 2013

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 2, 2014 – Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg continue their battle atop the F1 driver standings at the Japanese Grand Prix this Sunday at 1:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream the Japanese Grand Prix.

NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of the F1 Japanese Grand Prix begins Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Live Extra with Practice 1, followed by Practice 2 on Friday at 1 a.m. ET on NBCSN. Live Extra will carry Practice 3 on Friday at 10 p.m. ET, followed by live qualifying coverage on Saturday at 1 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

Live Japanese Grand Prix coverage begins Sunday at 1:30 a.m. ET, followed by F1 Extra at 4 a.m. ET. NBCSN will air an encore presentation of the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Hamilton is looking to build off of momentum from his victory at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sept. 21, which vaulted him into first place in the driver’s standings ahead of Rosberg, after Rosberg was only able to complete 13 laps before retiring due to an electronics issue. Hamilton (241) now holds a slim three-point lead over Rosberg (238) with five races remaining on the schedule. Hamilton won the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway, but neither driver has taken the checkered flag at Suzuka Circuit, where the race has been held since 2009.

Lead F1 announcer Leigh Diffey will call the Japanese Grand Prix, and will be joined by veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, and analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett. F1 insider Will Buxton will serve as the team’s on-site reporter from Suzuka Circuit.

In addition, NBC Sports Group’s F1 telecast team will preview the race weekend on F1 Countdown tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. F1 Countdown will include an interview with Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team, and recap the Singapore Grand Prix with extended radio communications from various drivers and teams.

2014 FORMULA ONE SEASON ON NBCSN AVERAGING 390,000 VIEWERS, UP 92% FROM 2013

Through nine races, NBCSN’s coverage of the 2014 Formula One season has averaged 390,000 viewers, up 92% from the average viewership through the same number of races in 2013 (203,000), with three races remaining on the network (Japan, Russia and Abu Dhabi).

The Singapore Grand Prix on NBCSN on Sunday, Sept. 17 (7:30-10:07 a.m. ET), averaged 406,000 viewers, up 58% from the same race in 2013.

Motorsports Coverage This Week on NBCSN & NBC Sports Live Extra (subject to change):

 

Date Program Time (ET) Network
Thurs., October 2 NASCAR AMERICA 5 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 1 9 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra
/DRIVE on NBC Sports (Encore) 10 p.m. NBCSN
Fri., October 3 F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 2 1 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Countdown 5 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 3 10 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra
Sat., October 4 F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying 1 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore) 12:30 p.m. NBCSN
Sun., October 5 F1 Japanese Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Extra 4 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix (Encore) 2:30 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Extra (Encore) 5 p.m. NBCSN

MOTORSPORTS 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 streaming coverage of this week’s F1 Japanese Grand Prix. NBC Sports Live Extra’s F1 presentations allow viewers to access live on-board shots from various drivers, live shots on pit lane, highlights and an interactive track map. 

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at http://www.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.

All live-event programming 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.

MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on the Formula One, Verizon IndyCar Series, 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:

 

  • Luke Smith is creator and editor at Richland F1, which begins its second season this year. He’s on Twitter at @LukeSmithF1, primarily handling the F1 scene from Europe in great detail.
  • Tony DiZinno has most recently served as web editor for RACER Magazine and has more than seven years of experience in the industry. Follow him on Twitter at @TonyDiZinno.
  • Chris Estrada has written for NBCSports.com’s MotorsportsTalk since its inception in 2013, and has been a contributor for various outlets, including the Boston Globe, IndyCar Nation and FoxSports.com. Follow him at @estradawriting.
  • Jerry Bonkowski is a veteran NASCAR reporter with more than 30 years of experience. He has contributed to USA Today, Yahoo! Sports and other websites over the course of his career. Follow him on Twitter @JerryBonkowski.

 

To explore the site, please visit MotorSportsTalk.com.nbcsports.com or www.NBCSports.com.

SOCIAL: Follow @MotorsportsTalk, @F1onNBCSports and @NBCSN on Twitter and “like” Facebook.com/NBC Sports for the most up-to-date news, videos and commentary about Formula One on NBC Sports and NBCSN.

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