Jake Williams-Smith

News broke in the week prior to the Japanese Grand Prix that NBC would stop broadcasting Formula One in the United States and that ESPN would be taking over coverage. Embed from Getty Images The announcement may have a silver lining however as it has prompted speculation that Liberty Media is considering an over-the-top streaming service from next season.

Well it was quite something wasn’t it. The golden tones of Michael Buffer echoing out across the Circuit of the Americas and “to the hundreds of millions watching at home”. Formula One had another go at breaking America this past weekend, a market it has struggled to find a foothold in for some time. And boy was it pedal to the metal in its attempts to appeal to the US audience.

Three races into the 2018 season and Mercedes are yet to win a grand prix. If you had predicted that during winter testing you would have been laughed at by people far and wide. Mercedes have struggled to assert the same kind of dominance they have done since the hybrid era began in 2014 since then they have had a stranglehold on success in Formula One.