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ESPN to air a Formula 1 version of the 'Manningcast' with Daniel Ricciardo for 3 races in 2023

Ricciardo will host the alternate telecast with actor Will Arnett

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
·2 min read
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 26: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing prior the practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Danilo Di Giovanni/Getty Images)
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 26: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing prior the practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Danilo Di Giovanni/Getty Images) (Danilo Di Giovanni via Getty Images)

The "Manningcast" is coming to Formula 1.

ESPN announced Thursday that it will air three alternate telecasts of Formula 1 races with F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo and actor Will Arnett as the hosts. The first alternate broadcast of the season will be on ESPN2 on June 18 for the Canadian Grand Prix and alternate broadcasts will also be shown for the U.S. Grand Prix in October and the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November.

The alternate broadcasts are being produced by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. The company has produced the alternate Monday Night Football telecasts with Peyton and Eli Manning for the past two seasons.

Like the Manningcasts, Ricciardo and Arnott will host guests during the race and the telecast will be more conversational than the Sky Sports broadcast that ESPN airs in the United States.

“This is going to be a hoot!” Ricciardo said in an ESPN statement. “As you’d expect Will and I are going to have some fun with the show, but we’re hoping it just feels like you’re watching F1 with your mates. We will have some amazing guests, plenty of laughs and with some luck, bring fans another step closer to the sport I love so much. Buckle up America!”

ESPN recently extended its rights agreement with F1 to rebroadcast the Sky Sports feed through 2025. F1 has enjoyed significant viewer growth in the United States over the last few seasons thanks in large part to the popularity of the Netflix docu-series "Drive to Survive." The gregarious Ricciardo was one of the central figures of the documentary's first season as he contemplated his move from Red Bull to Renault ahead of the 2019 season.

Ricciardo is available to host the alternate telecasts thanks to his reserve driver arrangement with Red Bull. Ricciardo got his start in F1 with Red Bull and joined the team as a reserve driver ahead of the 2023 season after he parted ways with McLaren following the 2022 season. Ricciardo, 33, has won eight F1 races over his career and had finished in the top 10 of the points standings for eight consecutive seasons before finishing 11th in 2022.