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F1 ditches NBC for ABC, ESPN
Premier open-wheel racing series migrates networks for the 2018 season.
When the 2018 Formula 1 season kicks off, American viewers will need to do a little channel surfing if they want to watch some of the world’s best drivers compete in the globe’s highest-profile racing series.
On Wednesday, ABC and ESPN announced that they will have exclusive broadcasting rights for next year’s Formula 1 season, which starts on March 25 with the Australian Grand Prix. The races will air live on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, with certain races, like the Monaco Grand Prix on May 27, getting a replay later in the day.
As Autoweek points out, F1’s popularity in the US is on the rise. From 2013 to 2017, average viewership for the races on NBC grew from 187,000 viewers to 440,000.
F1’s 2018 schedule:
| Date | Time | Event | Network |
| March 25 | 12:55 a.m. | Australian Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| April 8 | 1:55 a.m. | Chinese Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| April 15 | 10:55 a.m. | Bahrain Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| April 29 | 8:55 a.m. | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| May 13 | 7:55 a.m. | Spanish Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| May 27 | 7:55 a.m. | Monaco Grand Prix | ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | Monaco Grand Prix | ABC * | |
| June 10 | 1:55 p.m. | Canadian Grand Prix | ESPN |
| June 24 | 7:55 a.m. | French Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| July 1 | 7:55 a.m. | Austrian Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| July 8 | 7:55 a.m. | British Grand Prix | ESPN |
| July 22 | 7:55 a.m. | German Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| July 29 | 7:55 a.m. | Hungarian Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| Aug. 26 | 7:55 a.m. | Belgian Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 2 | 7:55 a.m. | Italian Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 16 | 7:55 a.m. | Singapore Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 30 | 7:55 a.m. | Russian Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 7 | 12:55 a.m. | Japanese Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 21 | 2:55 p.m. | United States Grand Prix | ABC |
| Oct. 28 | 2:55 p.m. | Mexican Grand Prix | ABC |
| Nov. 11 | 10:55 a.m. | Brazilian Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
| Nov. 25 | 7:55 a.m. | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ESPN2 |
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