Motorsport is facing uncertainty as the Middle East has been racked with conflict and you will find out the latest in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup. I also have news on a potential return of MotoGP to India, the latest motorsport legal news and more.
Overview
Motorsport Industry News
Motorsport Faces Uncertainty Amid Middle East Conflict
The conflict in the Middle East between the United states, Israel and Iran is having repercussions on international motorsport. The WEC season-opener has been canceled and MotoGP looks to be the next series to cancel its Middle East round. As for Formula 1, they only race in the region in April but the way things are going with the conflict, those races could be canceled with no replacements intended. The FIA says they are closely monitoring the situation and safety will be the guiding factor in their decisions but the conflict is definitely affecting Formula 1’s bottom line.
More On Apple’s F1 Plans
Last week I posted some articles on Apple’s F1 plans. As we are on the eve of the first race of the 2026 season, here is a bit more detail about what they have planned and why.
- Apple’s Big Bet on F1 Is About More Than Streaming (Front Office Sports)
- Apple Is Quietly Making Its Whole Ecosystem Perfect for F1 Fans (The Drive)
- Apple unveils wide-ranging F1 coverage plan as rights deals start (Sports Business Journal)
- Liberty’s Derek Chang goes deep on F1/Apple deal (Sports Business Journal)
How Formula 1 Generates Revenue
If you ever wondered how Formula 1 generates its revenue, here are a few articles that get into the details.
- F1 2025 Prize Money: Ferrari Top the Table Despite McLaren’s Title Triumph (Coffee Corner Motorsport)
- How Formula 1 Makes Money: A Complete Business Breakdown Before The 2026 Season (Huddle Up)
- F1 2026 – “Pay to Survive”: the pinnacle of motorsport becomes a $3.7 billion empire (KartCom)
IndyCar Just Gave Honda and Chevrolet Something No Series Has Ever Offered
Earlier this month, IndyCar President Doug Boles announced multi-year contract extensions with both Chevrolet and Honda, locking in the series’ engine supply through at least 2030. But the headline goes beyond the length of the deal. The real story is the structure. Starting in 2028, each manufacturer receives a transferable charter, a guaranteed grid entry that functions as a financial asset, one that appreciates alongside the series itself.
Vincenzo Landino of The Business of Speed explains how this cemented the commitments of the current engine manufacturers while giving them a financial stake in the series.
Adding Northeast Race on IndyCar’s Radar
IndyCar has visited potential race venues in the Northeast of the U.S., according to president Doug Boles, an indication that the series is considering getting that part of the country back on its schedule.
“Trying to add big new events is super important and we continue to visit different places,” Boles said. “… The biggest challenge is, as we add races to our schedule, we want to add races that are an event — so there are a lot of places we could just go and have a race but we have 17 races, 18 now with D.C., and in order for us to really either add to our schedule or replace something, it needs to be a true event. So it’s more than just: ‘Is this a place we can race?’ because there’s a lot of those places.”
MotoGP Set for India Comeback? UP Signs Big Deal to Revive Buddh Circuit
Uttar Pradesh’s State Transformation Commission has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with motorsport consultancy AVW Global, founded by former rider Karel Abraham, to revive international motorcycle racing in India. This strategic partnership aims to re-establish the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida as a premier destination for top-tier events, specifically targeting the return of MotoGP and the hosting of the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).
Will NASCAR Get Michael Jordan Boost From 23XI’s Historic Start?
NASCAR is getting its biggest dose yet of Michael Jordan the team owner thanks to Tyler Reddick’s historic start to the 2026 season. Reddick’s success, and the increased spotlight on Jordan, has not translated to a significant TV ratings bump for NASCAR yet.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
How a Circuit is Homologated and More
- Why F1’s ‘Drive to Survive’ is still Netflix’s ‘perfect soap opera’ after eight seasons (The Athletic)
- Interview: Driving Saudi Arabia’s Motorsport Vision (Gulf Motorsport Business)
- F1 in the GCC: How motorsport is driving tourism, investment and city branding (Arab News)
- Mario Isola to leave Pirelli and head Italian motorsport (Grand Prix.com)
- Dario Marrafuschi Appointed New Head of Motorsport for Pirelli, Replacing Mario Isola (Pirelli)
- Rolex 24 Leadership Lesson: When Their Fault Is Your Responsibility (Rolling Stone)
- SEGG Media Highlights Veloce’s Diversified Revenue Engine Following $61 Million Majority Acquisition (Globe and Mail)
- The family tree of F1’s 11 teams and how they came to be (Formula 1)
- Supercar maker McLaren launching golf-equipment brand (Golf.com)
- Why is McLaren Betting on Golf? (Business of Speed)
- Northwood University launches new BBA in Automotive & Mobility Studies with Motorsports Management concentration (Northwood University)
- Gibson Technology’s John Manchester Takes A Bow (Daily Sportscar)
- I Read 606 Pages of F1’s New Regs So You Don’t Have To (Paddock Project)
- Global Motorsport Report Preview Download (Sport Business)
- Formula 1’s pivotal year (Financial Times)
- 3 Underrated Fashion Icons of Formula 1 (Paddock Journal)
- FIA approves Petronas sustainable fuels for Mercedes F1 power units (Motorsport.com)
- YouTube Star’s Rockingham Debut Signals NASCAR’s Creator Economy Moment (Forbes)
- WIMNA announces board leadership transition, new board appointments (RACER)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Racing Bulls F1 Unveil Groundbreaking Fuel Cell plant
Racing Bulls F1 have unveiled a groundbreaking sustainable fuel cell plant, and I have the details in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. I also have details on how F1 is driving sustainability on and off the track and more!
The Numbers This Week
IndyCar Starts the Season and F1 on a High
- St. Pete IndyCar rating matches 2025 debut on FOX (RACER)
- Formula 1’s 2025 audience was the largest in five years (Grand Prix 24/7)
Motorsport Law Roundup
McLaren and Chip Ganassi Reach Final Settlement Over Palou Court Case
McLaren has reached a final settlement with Chip Ganassi Racing after the London High Court ruled against Alex Palou and CGR during the long-running dispute. McLaren CEO Zak Brown said: “I’m very pleased that we have reached a final settlement with Chip Ganassi Racing after a UK judge ruled in our favour in January.”
Judge Grants Limited Restraining Order Against Gabehart
Following up from last week, Chris Gabehart is allowed to continue working for Spire Motorsports, but without overlap per the ruling of U.S. District Judge Susan Rodrigiuez. The ruling came Monday in response to the temporary restraining order sought by Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs argued that Gabehart is performing the same role for Spire Motorsports (which includes the No.71 entry for Michael McDowell, main image), listed as chief motorsports officer, as he was for Gibbs as competition director. Avoiding the overlap, or not performing the same duties at Spire, was important for Judge Rodriguez, which is why she limited the granting of the restraining order.
Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a motion for expedited discovery while Gabehart claims dysfunction at Joe Gibbs Racing in his legal defense.
NASCAR’s Kyle Busch Settles $8.5M Insurance Suit
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch and his wife reached a settlement with their life insurer and its producer after accusing them in North Carolina federal court of causing them to lose over $8.5 million via complex life insurance products.
Sports Law White Paper: Professional Sports Investment (US/CA/EU)
Professional sports teams in the United States, Canada, and Europe have become a mainstream institutional asset class over the past decade. For investors, however, team equity is not a generic private equity position: it is an investment inside a league ecosystem, with different legal architectures, regulatory constraints, and economic dynamics by region and sport. JD Supra has an article authored by Kaufman & Canoles that outlines the structures and issues that most often drive risk allocation, valuation, and documentation in US, Canadian, and European team investments. You can read it here.
The Legal Issues Revving Up Motorsports
The Victorian Bar Association is holding an in-person event that will also be available online via livestream on The Legal Issues Revving up Motorsports. It takes place 14 April 2026 05:30 PM AUS Eastern Standard Time. More details can be found here.
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
Why It’s the Right Time to Sponsor MotoGP and More
- ENVE composites backs Schumacher’s RLL IndyCar (RACER)
- Formula 1 announces Betway as sport’s first Official Betting Operator in multi-year deal (Formula 1)
- The F1 Partner Activation Strategy Gap (Out Lap)
- Lego, Listerine and Lady Dior: What Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s Cassidy Towriss brings to a race weekend (Paddock Journal)
- ROKiT Oxygen teams up with Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport ahead of 2026 BTCC assault (The Tennessean)
- Goodwood partners with Howden (SIG)
- How Arby’s Bought Influence Instead of a Hood (The Racing Revenue Playbook)
- F1, C15 Studio renew multi-year deal to run the Formula 1 Channel in the U.S. (RACER)
- Boulder Crest Foundation Partners with Haas Factory Team and Sheldon Creed to Bring ‘Struggle Well’ Message to NASCAR Fans Nationwide (NASCAR)
- White Cap Powers 2026 WRC Safari Rally with Ksh45 Million Sponsorship (Kisii Press Club)
- Shell Starship races back to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for 2026 (The Trucker)
- AIPEX Racing Joins Juncos Hollinger Racing to Enhance Performance Strategy for 2026 (JHR)
- Jack Daniel’s New McLaren F1 Collab Is a High Octane Version of This Tennessee Whiskey (Robb Report)
- 2026: the right year to sponsor MotoGP (RTR Sports)
- M&S races into Silverstone partnership (SIG)
- Ackerman Toyota Returns as Title Sponsor for Spike Kohlbecker Racing In 2026 SRO GR Cup North American Championship (RTD)
- F1 and Salesforce expand partnership with AI fan engagement platform (Sector)
- The reasoning behind McLaren’s Mastercard F1 naming partnership (Sector)
- F=ma Scales Motorsports And Car Culture For The Modern Era (Forbes)
- Hyak Motorsports announces multi-race sponsorship with Pylon Aviation (Jayski’s)
- F1 agrees ‘AUS$60m’ Kayo broadcast extension in Australia (BlackBook Motorsport)
- WEC signs global CrowdStrike partnership (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Audi Revolut F1 Team fuelled by bp partnership (SIG)
- Sponsors Set For Abreu’s High Limit Chase (Speed Sport)
- Roto-Rooter Joins Trackhouse Racing for 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Season (TrackHouse)
- Jockey International, Inc. has renewed for 2026 its sponsorship arrangement with Trackhouse Entertainment Group (Adam Stern)
- NHRA collaborates with Filippo Loreti on 75th Anniversary watch (Filippo Loreti)
- Aston Martin F1 doesn’t need ‘track success to have commercial success’ as Cohere joins as AI partner (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Financial Companies Are Paying Big in F1 (Sunday’s Sponsors)
- Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) and Pirelli Announce Multi-Year Partnership (HSR)
- Partnerships: United Autosports Extends Endurance Racing Partnership Portfolio For 2026 (United Autosports)
The Business of Running a Race Team
Laurent Mekies: “My Job is to Protect Red Bull’s DNA, Not to Change It”
Sitting down with Autosport ahead of a brave new era for Red Bull and its in-house F1 power unit programme, team principal Laurent Mekies has opened up on his approach picking up the baton left by Christian Horner.
“The team has been fantastic. They had all gone through an epochal change, yet I was welcomed in an incredible way. After a few months, I realised that my job is certainly not to change the foundations of the team, but to protect its competitive DNA: here, everything is done to make the car faster. The rest matters little.”
Read the full interview here.
Team & Manufacturer News
How Buzz MK Racing Joined the Grid and More
- Buzz MK Racing: How Super Formula’s last-minute 16th team joined the grid (Japan Racing Insider)
- Kellymoss Unveils Exciting and Diverse Multi-Class Three-Car Pirelli GT4 America Effort for 2026 (GT4 America)
- Team VR46 announces an €18 million budget for MotoGP 2026: the year of truth (Sport Finanza)
- Revolution Race Cars Factory Works Confirms Three-Car Line-Up for 2026 Equipe Sports Prototypes Series (Revolution Race Cars)
- Gade Among Latest Ford Hypercar Hires (Daily Sportscar)
- Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon on powering Williams to the top (Gentleman’s Journal)
- Ziggo Sport Tempesta’s Switch To Porsche (Daily Sportscar)
- MB Motorsport take the covers off Toyota Corolla challengers (Touring Car Times)
- NAPA Racing UK to race saloon version of Ford Focus in BTCC (Touring Car Times)
- Cadillac’s Road to F1 (Sports Business Journal)
- Cadillac F1 Has Spent Ages Preparing for Formula 1. The World Will See the Results in Melbourne (Road & Track)
- Velorex, CarGuy Ferrari Teams Still Waiting on Evo Upgrades (Sportscar365)
- Job done right: A championship-winning sports car team-turned-restoration shop sets itself new goals (RACER)
- McLaren ‘Project Endurance’ Supplements Hypercar Effort (Sportscar365)
- Wright Motorsports Expands 2026 SRO Program After Record Attendance Surge (Vantage)
- Prema environment still “as strong as it was” say team’s F3 drivers (Formula Scout)
- Van Amersfoort Racing Appoints Otmar Szafnauer as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner (VAR)
- TAG One Motorsport launches six-car program in Radical Cup Canada (RACER)
- Hollingshead Performance Confirms Toyota GR Cup North America Program For 2026 (RTD)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects and the host of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
