It was about to be a busy few weeks for James Hinchcliffe. When we met in Austin, he was just starting off a triple-header, having joined the F1 TV team for the series’ North American swing. In between filming spots, he roamed the paddock picking up information he could put to good use, then picked up a microphone the moment any on-track action — practice, qualifying, the race — wrapped up. When the cars were off the track, Hinch (as he’s often called) was on.
He’s gone from racing IndyCars to analyzing F1 drivers, but his career path was more of a street circuit than a straightaway. Eleven years in IndyCar (from 2011 to 2021) means Hinchcliffe knows what it’s like to battle for position on track. But even before he made it into America’s top-tier open-wheel series, he had dipped a toe into broadcasting — only to come back when he hung up his helmet from being full-time driver. After spending a couple of years as an analyst for IndyCar and IMSA on NBC Sports, Hinchcliffe got a call from F1 TV.
