FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 19th, 2016

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS COMPREHENSIVE LIVE COVERAGE OF FORMULA ONE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX THIS WEEKEND ON NBC AND NBCSN

F1 United States Grand Prix – Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC

NBCSN to Provide Live Coverage of All Practice and Qualifying, Beginning Friday at 11 a.m. ET

“For so many years, we’ve waited for an American team – and now the wait is over.” – Leigh Diffey on American Haas F1 Team Making U.S. Grand Prix Debut

Broadcast Team of Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett and Will Buxton On-Site at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas

NASCAR America and NASCAR on NBC Podcast to Feature Haas F1 Drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Guiterrez

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 19, 2016 – Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg continue their championship battle, and the American Haas F1 Team makes its debut in the United States, as NBC Sports Group presents the Formula One United States Grand Prix this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on NBC with F1 Countdown.

NBC and NBCSN will combine to present comprehensive live coverage of all practice, qualifying and race coverage this weekend, beginning on Friday at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of practice, qualifying, and the U.S. Grand Prix.

NBC Sports Group’s lead F1 commentary team of play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey, veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett, and F1 insider Will Buxton will call the race on-site from Circuit of the Americas.
F1 U.S. GRAND PRIX – SUNDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBC

Rosberg currently holds a 33-point lead over Hamilton with just four races remaining in the 2016 season heading into this weekend’s race at Circuit of the Americas, following his ninth win of the season in Japan on Oct. 9. Hamilton will look for a strong showing this weekend at COTA, where he has won three of the four races since 2012, and where he clinched the drivers’ championship last season.

This also marks the first race on U.S. soil for the American Haas F1 Team, which made its debut into Formula One this season. Haas F1 has secured 28 points this season, led by driver Romain Grosjean, who has secured four Top 10 finishes for the team this season.

Live coverage begins on NBCSN Friday at 11 a.m. ET with Practice 1, followed by Practice 2 at 3 p.m. ET. NBCSN will present live coverage of Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage on Sunday begins at 2 p.m. ET on NBC with F1 Countdown, and F1 Extra will recap the U.S. Grand Prix with post-race coverage at 5 p.m. ET. NBCSN will also air an encore presentation of the race on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, and Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET.


Following are quotes from Diffey and Hobbs previewing the U.S. Grand Prix:

Diffey on the American Haas F1 Team competing stateside for the first time: “For so many years, we’ve waited for an American team – and now the wait is over. The fact that the team has scored 28 points, and got both drivers into the top 10 in qualifying at the last race – they can be so proud.”

Hobbs on Rosberg and Hamilton: “The battle for the front will be between Rosberg and Hamilton, but Hamilton has had some terrible problems starting the car. It’s no good being quicker than everybody else if you’re half a lap behind after lap one.”

Diffey on if Rosberg and hold off Hamilton to win the championship: “For the longest part of this season, I didn’t think so…but it’s so difficult to imagine that Nico isn’t going to do it at this point. This weekend could be a do-or-die weekend for Hamilton. He cannot get another bad start and cannot afford another poor finish…this weekend is going to be a defining moment in this championship.”


NASCAR AMERICA
AND NASCAR ON NBC PODCAST TO FEATURE HAAS F1 DRIVERS ROMAIN GROSJEAN AND ESTEBAN GUITERREZ

Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez join Kyle Petty at the NASCAR Hall of Fame during Thursday’s NASCAR America for a discussion about the evolution of stock car racing. From the creation of the first window net, to historic race cars Grosjean and Gutierrez immerse themselves in the history of NASCAR and even try their hand at changing tires. In addition, Grosjean and Gutierrez will appear on Thursday’s edition of the NASCAR on NBC podcast with Nate Ryan. The pair discusses this weekend’s race in Austin, Texas, which will mark Grosjean’s 100th career Grand Prix start. Available on NASCAR Talk, iTunes, AudioBoom, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps, the NASCAR on NBC podcast discusses the latest NASCAR news each week with major stars and personalities.

In addition to this week’s live motorsports coverage, NBCSN continues its weekly Thursday Night Motorsports Block tomorrow, beginning at 8 p.m. ET with a pair of Mecum Top 10 episodes. This week’s block is highlighted by the debut of Grudge Race, a show which brings racing rivals to the track to settle their score in a modern-day drag race. NBCSN will present a pair of 30-minute episodes tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET, with encore episodes airing Thursday at midnight ET.


NASCAR ON NBC HEADS TO TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND

NBC Sports heads to Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR’s biggest and baddest race track, for the Round of 12 elimination race. NBCSN presents the final opportunity for Chase drivers to punch their ticket into the next round Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. With Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick safely into the Round of 8 by virtue of a win, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott stand below the cut line and must risk it all at the track know known for mammoth, multi-car crashes. More information detailing this weekend’s NASCAR coverage will be release later today.

Following is this week’s NBC Sports Group motorsports coverage schedule:

DATE COVERAGE NETWORK TIME (ET)
Thurs., October 20 Mecum Auctions – Chicago* NBCSN Noon
  NASCAR America NBCSN 5:30 p.m.
  NASCAR K&N Pro Series West – All-American NBCSN 7 p.m.
  Mecum Top 10 – MOPAR NBCSN 8 p.m.
  Mecum Top 10 – Corvettes NBCSN 8:30 p.m.
  Grudge Race NBCSN 9 p.m.
  Grudge Race NBCSN 9:30 p.m.
  Nitro World Games All Access NBCSN 10 p.m.
  Nitro World Games All Access NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
  Motorclub NBCSN 11 p.m.
  Motorclub NBCSN 11:30 p.m.
Fri., October 21 F1 United States Grand Prix – Practice 1 NBCSN 11 a.m.
  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega – Practice NBCSN 2 p.m.
  F1 United States Grand Prix – Practice 2 NBCSN 3 p.m.
  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega – Final Practice NBCSN 4:30 p.m.
  NASCAR America NBCSN 5:30 p.m.
  /DRIVE NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega – Practice (Encore) NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
Sat., October 22 F1 United States Grand Prix – Practice 3 & Qualifying NBCSN 12:30 p.m.
  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega – Qualifying NBCSN 4 p.m.
  NASCAR Whelen Modified Series – Thompson NBCSN 6 p.m.
Sun., October 23 NASCAR America Sunday NBCSN 1 p.m.
  NASCAR Countdown to Green NBCSN 1:30 p.m.
  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing – Talladega NBCSN 2 p.m.
  F1 Countdown NBC 2 p.m.
  F1 United States Grand Prix NBC 3 p.m.
  F1 Extra NBC 5 p.m.
  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race NBCSN 5:30 p.m.
  NASCAR Victory Lap NBCSN 6 p.m.
  F1 United States Grand Prix (Encore) NBCSN 7 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 24 F1 United States Grand Prix (Encore) NBCSN 3:30 p.m.

*signifies delayed coverage

MOTORSPORTS ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP: NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of this weekend’s motorsports content via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

NASCAR TALKNASCAR TALK provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date NASCAR coverage, including Sprint Cup, XFINITY, and Camping World Truck Series. The site also promotes videos from NBCSN’s NASCAR AMERICA. Fans can follow @NASCARTalkNBC on Twitter.

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

SOCIAL: NBC Sports Group will continue to provide comprehensive motorsports social coverage across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter, fans can follow @MotorsportsTalk for all-encompassing content across NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties. @NASCARonNBC and@NASCARTalkNBC share the latest NASCAR content, @F1onNBCSports provides the latest news in Formula One, and @IndyCaronNBCSN delivers up-to-the-minute information on the Verizon IndyCar Series.

In addition, the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page will provide users with videos, interactive content and much more. Fans should also “like” NBC Sports on Facebook for the most up-to-date news, videos and commentary about NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.

– NBC SPORTS GROUP –