Will Buxton | |
|---|---|
 Buxton in 2024 | |
| Born | William Thomas Buxton[1] (1981-02-14)14 February 1981 (age 44) Portsmouth, England[2] |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
| Occupation(s) | Presenter Journalist Sports commentator Author |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Employer | Fox Sports |
William Thomas Buxton (born 14 February 1981) is a British motorsport journalist, commentator and presenter who is currently the lead commentator forFox Sports' coverage of theIndyCar Series beginning with the2025 season.[3] He is best known for his coverage ofFormula One with theFormula One Group from2018 to2024.
Buxton was born inPortsmouth, but grew up inMalvern, Worcestershire. He attendedKing's School, Worcester, where he was a chorister atWorcester Cathedral underDonald Hunt. He went on to study atLord Wandsworth College andSixth Form College, Farnborough, in Hampshire before studying politics at theUniversity of Leeds.[2][4]
In 2018, Buxton announced he was engaged to Victoria Helyar, who worked in marketing for theRacing Point F1 Team. They got married in April 2022.[5] The couple have a daughter, born on 5 July 2023.[6] Buxton also has an older daughter from a previous relationship.[7]
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In 2014, Buxton was invited to participate in the inauguralFlorida Winter Series. He drove at three events, alongside future Formula One driversMax Verstappen,Lance Stroll andNicholas Latifi.[8]
Whilst at university Buxton started writing for GrandPrix.com. In 2002 he joined the Official Formula 1 Magazine, and was astaff writer there until it closed in February 2004, when he went on to freelance work.[2]
Buxton was offered the role ofpress officer for the inauguralGP2 Series of 2005, and was later promoted to Director of Communications. In 2008 he became editor of the GPWeek virtual magazine, and in 2009 he started providing live commentary for theGP2 Series andGP2 Asia Series forFormula One Group.[9]
In 2010, Buxton joinedSpeed, an American motorsports cable channel which was owned byFox Sports, as their Formula 1 pit-lane reporter until they lost the rights to broadcast F1 at the end of 2012, which he claimed he found out about through posts by Speed Channel colleagues onTwitter.[10][11] In 2013, the American broadcasting rights for Formula 1 went toNBC Sports, where he resumed his role as pit-lane reporter, as well as later joining NBC's broadcast team for theIndyCar Series, until 2017.[12]
In aSky Sports F1 interview in December 2017, Buxton supported the changes Liberty Media had made whilst running Formula 1, despite these changes having lost him his job at NBC Sports.[13]
Buxton returned to Formula 1 in an official capacity in 2018, becoming Formula One Group's first Digital Presenter.[14] He hosted a number of features onF1 TV and the official F1 YouTube channel, includingWeekend Warm-Up (formerlyPaddock Pass), a feature he carried over from NBC.[15]
Buxton has appeared in all seven seasons of theNetflix documentary seriesFormula 1: Drive to Survive based on the2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023 and2024 Formula 1 seasons, giving his opinions on the events covered in the series.[16] He is often used by the show's producers as a reference point for new viewers, explaining racing concepts and terminology for non-motorsport fans. Many of his sound bites have becomememes in the Formula 1 community, a fact Buxton is aware of.[17]
In 2019, Buxton released his first book, titled:My Greatest Defeat: Stories of Hardship and Hope from Motor Racing's Finest Heroes, featuring illustrations fromGiuseppe Camuncoli.[18]
On 14 January 2025,Fox Sports announced Buxton as its lead commentator for its first season covering theIndyCar Series in 2025, alongsideJames Hinchcliffe andTownsend Bell as race analysts. As a result, Buxton left his roles with F1TV.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | F1 | Himself | Cameo | [19] |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2025 | Formula 1: Drive to Survive | Himself | Netflix | [20][21] |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2022 | Paddock Pass | Himself | F1TV | 2018,2019,2020,2021, and2022 season. | [22] |
| Year | Title | Type | Platform | Developer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | F1 2020 | Sport | PlayStation,Xbox andPC | Codemasters | [23] |
| 2021 | F1 2021 | Sport | PlayStation,Xbox andPC | Codemasters andEA Sports | [24] |
| 2022 | F1 22 | Sport | PlayStation,Xbox andPC | Codemasters andEA Sports | [citation needed] |