Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe features in F1TV’s broadcast of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix as the host of the post-race shows. The Canadian posted an update about the F1 race in Japan via his social media handle, detailing how it had been a bucket list item for him.
James Hinchcliffe worked as an analyst for NBC’s IndyCar broadcast before switching as FOX took over the exclusive broadcasting rights for the American open-wheel racing series. Hinchcliffe joined FOX along with former F1 TV host Will Buxton and Townsend Bell. However, the Canadian had previously made appearances on the F1TV, with the most recent one at the 2025 Japanese GP.
James Hinchcliffe uploaded four photos on X (formerly Twitter), three of which were images with the other F1TV hosts for the Japanese GP, Laura Winter and Chris Medland. The former IndyCar driver featured an all denim outfit in one of the pictures, and a black outfit layered with a beige jacket in the other two pictures. The last picture was with his wife Rebecca Dalton.
The Canadian revealed his experience of being back on the F1TV in his tweet. Revealing how attending the Japanese GP had been a bucket list item for him, James Hinchcliffe’s tweet read,
“What a great weekend back on the F1 wagon! Suzuka has been a bucket list race to visit and it didn’t disappoint. Great working with the F1TV crew as always, and great first race for @ChrisMedlandF1 with the gang!”
Max Verstappen started on pole at the Japanese GP with the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri behind him. While the Papaya drivers were marginally faster than the Dutchman, the Red Bull driver didn’t make a single mistake and kept Norris behind him the whole race.
The newly surfaced track meant tire wear was minimal which led to a single-stop race. The only real overtaking moment for Lando Norris was coming out of the pits, where Max Verstappen held his line, and the Briton was sent onto the grass on the pit exit.
James Hinchcliffe once revealed what IndyCar can learn from F1
James Hinchcliffe came out in December 2024, before the start of the 2025 IndyCar season, and detailed what F1 and IndyCar can learn from each other. Speaking of IndyCar, he explained how the race weekend structure is all over the place with irregular gaps between sessions, whereas in F1, a stricter format is followed. He asked IndyCar to implement the same as he said (via PlanetF1),
“I like the way that F1 structures their weekends identically. No matter where in the world you are, you know that Practice 2 [will take place] the same amount of time after Practice 1, and it goes all the way back to the track tests on Wednesday. Like, I can tell you what time the safety car laps are on Thursday, and from that I can delineate what time FP3 ends.”
The IndyCar format is inconsistent depending on whether it’s a street/permanent circuit race or an oval race, as well as factors like the support races during the race weekend.
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Edited by Shirsh
