Formula One (F1) shifts gears with a five-year deal with Apple for exclusive rights to streaming F1 races in the United States, starting in 2026.
The deal, according to Variety, is valued at around $800 million, more than doubling what F1’s previous agreement was, which was approximately $255 million over three years with ESPN. This deal, in part, correlates with the recent success of “F1: The Movie,” an Apple TV movie. Apple’s official announcement stated that “A more dynamic and elevated viewing experience comes to Apple TV next year,” and fans appear to be showing support.
Formula One, a sport that originated in 1950 from the European Grand Prix championships of the 1920s and 1930s, follows a select number of drivers and teams as they compete in races around the world throughout the year.
As of 2025, the F1 grid comprises 10 teams, each with two drivers. The 20 drivers will then go head-to-head every race weekend in a qualifying session to determine their starting position on the grid. In the actual race, each driver in 10th place or above can score points for the championship.
Points in Formula One count towards two championships: the Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors’ Championship. In the Drivers’ Championship, drivers compete against one another, regardless of team. The Constructors’ Championship tallies the points of both drivers racing for a team.
There have been instances when the Drivers’ Champion does not come from the Constructors’ winning team. However, according to Formula One, it’s historically more likely that the driver comes from the team that wins the Constructors’ championship.
Peter Hopelain, a former endurance racer and Formula One enthusiast, discussed what the Apple partnership could mean.
“Motorsport has always had three pillars: Entertainment, technology, and sport,” Hopelain said.
He described the three as constantly intertwining and affecting each other, and he believes that, at the core of the sport, that is all there is to it. He views the partnership as a strategic move to strengthen the entertainment pillar, which will generate additional revenue to support the other two pillars.
Hopelain believes that this deal is a significant overall benefit to both parties. For F1, this deal is increasing accessibility.
“Apple is taking this huge fragmentation, and they’re putting it all in one place,” Hopelain said. “Prior to that, you had to have a YouTube subscription, you had to have an ESPN subscription; it was just too fragmented for everyone to really fall into one place. When you think about entertainment, you just want to click and watch and be entertained.”
Hopelain also believes this will benefit Apple, as it will increase the number of people using Apple TV.
“For Apple, they’re bundling the experience that people have on Apple TV, right? So if you don’t have Apple TV, you’re likely going to get Apple TV,” Hopelain said.
Looking to the future of the sport and this deal, Hopelain said that further integration could definitely be possible.
“It starts to become a natural conversation over time when everyone becomes more comfortable with each other. Think about how the F1 movie was made on Apple, right? So, their studio made that. What I could see happening is this integration of the sport and the entertainment and the tech,” Hopelain said.
He referenced how Apple released a special version of the “F1: The Movie” trailer that included haptic vibrations from the phone, synchronized with the trailer itself.
He also mentioned how Formula One visualizations have often been in contact with and even taken inspiration from their partners, for example, EA Sports’ F1 game inspired Formula One broadcasting to display driver names as holographic visuals above the cars during a race.
Hopelain believes that fans may see something similar in the future with Apple and F1.
“If you look ahead to a new feature, you wouldn’t know which one was the chicken or the egg,” Hopelain said.
Other Formula One fans have varying opinions on the topic.
Sachin Bulfer, a Carlmont senior and the president of the F1 and Motorsport Club, erred on the side of caution when looking ahead to the opportunities Apple could make available.
“They have the ability to make F1 focused on the fans, cater to the fans, but they also have the ability to ruin it. I’d say it’s a fine line that they have to walk,” Bulfer said.
He doesn’t discredit the movie that Apple made, though, and mentions that it’s a step in the right direction, along with Netflix’s docuseries, “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”
Bulfer believes the deal is more targeted towards new audiences, rather than just keeping older fans.
“F1 has slowly been expanding into the U.S. market; We have slowly increased from one to three races. And so Apple TV buying these rights, being a U.S.-based company, I think it’s geared towards new fans, especially in the western world and the U.S.,” Bulfer said.
Monika Mukerji, a Carlmont graduate, Formula One fan, and former vice president of the F1 and Motorsport Club, agrees that the deal is beneficial for the sport and aims to attract new fans.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for fans, specifically in the U.S., to learn more about Formula One, their history, and to start getting into the sport,” Mukerji said.
Mukerji also hopes to see Apple shine more light on Formula One’s lower leagues, such as Formula 2 and F1 Academy.
“Apple TV is a platform for so many users,” Mukerji said. “For U.S. subscribers on Apple TV, they can learn more about Formula One and get into motorsport.”
