Russian Grand Prix rounds out F1’s busy April schedule on NBCSN

By Apr 19, 2017, 9:00 AM EDT
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Formula 1’s three-race in four-week stretch this April concludes with next weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, which can you can see live on NBCSN.

Both the race and Friday’s second free practice session air live on NBCSN while live qualifying airs on CNBC, so note that change.

Mercedes AMG Petronas is a perfect three-for-three at the Russian Grand Prix since its arrival on the F1 calendar in 2014. Lewis Hamilton won the first two races here while Nico Rosberg won last year. For the German driver, it was his fourth consecutive victory to open the season en route to his eventual march to the World Championship title.

That means that although it is only a three-race sample size, the Russian Grand Prix winner has gone on to win the World Championship every year, as Hamilton won this race before capturing the 2014 and 2015 titles.

Sebastian Vettel and Scuderia Ferrari are off to their strongest start together, with Vettel having won earlier this week at Bahrain for his second win in three races this season. He leads Hamilton by seven points, 68-61, and the two drivers are already on the verge of a runaway from the rest of the field in the battle for the 2017 title.

Valtteri Bottas (38 points) and Kimi Raikkonen (34) are already 30 or more points behind Vettel after just three races in third and fourth place in the championship.

Vettel, Bottas and Raikkonen have had checkered records in Russia. Vettel was irate last year after getting taken out by his successor at Red Bull Racing, Daniil Kvyat, on Kvyat’s home soil. It marked Kvyat’s last race at Red Bull before he and Max Verstappen swapped rides.

Meanwhile Bottas and Raikkonen had an infamous collision when battling over third place on the last lap in 2015, which opened the door for Sahara Force India’s Sergio Perez to take a surprise but well-earned podium finish that day.

As noted above, all sessions will be broadcast on CNBC, NBCSN or via the NBC Sports App. Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett are on the call with Will Buxton reporting from the pits and paddock.

Here’s the schedule, with stream links and TV network if applicable:

The next race is the Spanish Grand Prix, on May 14.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”