It was a chaotic week for international motorsport as the impact of American tariffs had the racing world debating what kind of effect they would have on motorsport, a sport that by necessity has an international footprint. Toss in further shake-ups in the governance of the FIA and it was indeed a turbulent week, and I have the details in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup. (Updated to include article from The Athletic on tariffs and F1).
Motorsport Industry News
Global Motorsport
The issue of American tariffs has dominated international news and the effect of the tariffs on motorsport has been a major topic of discussion. For example, among the array of big and small global suppliers to IndyCar, Penske’s official chassis partner is based in Italy, where the Dallara DW12 IndyCar is made. Dallara’s U.S. hub in Speedway, Indiana, is responsible for some smaller manufacturing contributions to the car, but new DW12s and most its spare parts hail from Italy and are subject to a new 20 percent import tariff. O.Z., a popular IndyCar wheel vendor, is also located in Italy. BBS, the other popular brand of wheel, is from Germany and has the same 20 percent import surcharge.
For the effect on Formula 1, a manufacturer-based series, tariffs could very well affect racing budgets. “But then when you look at Ferrari and you look at McLaren, you then start to see a seismic change. So 46% of all McLaren… wholesale sales were in North America, and most of it was in the United States, not Canada. And in NASCAR, the series debuted its seventh-generation race car in 2022, and the parts needed include 26 from single-source suppliers that all teams must use. According to a list NASCAR released in 2021 showing all those suppliers, some are based outside the U.S. such as the U.K.-headquartered AP Racing, which was due to sell the teams brake systems.
Here is a roundup of coverage as of April 10, 2025.
- How Trump’s tariffs could affect F1 (Autosport)
- JA on F1 podcast: From rising sun to tumbling markets (Autosport)
- Will Trump’s tariffs hurt Formula One’s new and existing teams? It’s complicated (The Athletic)
- How might global tariffs affect IndyCar teams? (RACER)
- NASCAR monitoring potential tariff impact (Sports Business Journal)
- Haas F1 team owner warns over “significant impact” of Trump’s huge tariffs increase (RaceFans)
- Haas’ tariff challenges highlight rising concerns about trickle down to racing (Sports Business Journal)
- What Do Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariffs Mean For American Racing? (Formula Flash)
Meanwhile the FIA has experienced its highest profile resignation yet when FIA deputy president for sport Robert Reid resigned with immediate effect citing a “breakdown of governance standards”. On top of that, Motorsport UK has criticized the FIA’s response to their governance concerns with the threat of legal action still on the table. Even the GPDA has blasted the FIA as being “unstable”. Here is the latest:
- FIA deputy president resigns amid ongoing turmoil at the governing body (FIA)
- Former FIA CEO speaks out against leadership, fuelling Ben Sulayem row (Motorsport.com)
- F1 power plays front and center in Bahrain (RACER)
- Ben Sulayem in the eye of the storm after latest key FIA resignation (Motorsport.com)
- George Russell blasts unstable FIA following key leadership departure (Motorsport Week)
- Motorsport UK criticises FIA response after threat of legal action (RaceFans)
- ‘Disappointing’ and ‘inappropriate’ – Motorsport UK hits back after FIA response (Planet F1)
Formula 1
Liberty Media has insisted that the commercial rights for F1 were not for sale but rumors have started that the American company could take F1 to market next year. “Sources tell me that Liberty Media, the American mass media company that owns F1, is holding off from selling, that it is likely to go to market [to try to sell Formula 1] next year rather than this.” – The Times
The South African government is nearing a decision on which project to support as it aims to bring Formula 1 back to the country. Organizers behind Cape Town’s bid have detailed the latest changes to their street race proposal.
“We meet all the requirements, with the airport 15 to 20 minutes away from the circuit; we’ve got a top hospital on site and plenty of hotels within walking distance. What also plays a big role is the natural backdrops of Robben Island, the waterfront and Table Mountain. Cape Town has a lot to offer as our top holiday destination.”
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Formula One is having trouble translating its current popularity into the large-scale rights package it wants.
Formula 1 manufacturers will be meeting this weekend in Bahrain about the mooted move to V10 engines in 2028. Racing News365 has the details of what key F1 figures are saying ahead of crunch Bahrain V10 meeting.
General Motorsport Industry News
Liberty Media is set to earn approval from the European Union antitrust authorities in its bid to acquire MotoGP owners Dorna Sports. This is according to Reuters, that claimed a €4.2billion deal will get the stamp of approval by the competition EU watchdog European Commission in the coming weeks.
Forbes reports that race Day parking passes for the 109th Indianapolis 500 are sold out, nearly three weeks ahead of last year’s pace, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced on Monday, April 7. That continues a trend of high demand to ensure parking for fans attending the world’s most famous and historic race that annually draws the largest crowd of any single-day sporting event in the world.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- Cathedrals of Speed Deserve Better Cars (Business of Speed)
- George Harrison’s Quiet Love Affair With Formula One (Rolling Stone)
- BTCC announces live broadcast on YouTube (Touring Car Times)
- Private Equity Investments in the Sports Arena: A Growing Opportunity (JD Supra)
- NASCAR team owner and former IndyCar racer Hattori dies aged 61 (RACER)
- TAG Heuer digs deep into its Formula 1 bag at Watches & Wonders ‘25 (Esquire Australia)
- World Rally Championship visit to Paraguay takes shape (Autosport)
- Business Happens at the PRI Show. Make Sure Your Brand is Represented (PRI)
- Yamaha tops bikes sales to open 2025 (Torque Cafe)
- McLaren plots reinvention in full merger with Forseven (Autocar)
- Grove Racing CEO Released to Pursue New Venture (V8 Sleuth)
- Davanti Tyres makes motorsport debut in Swift Sport Challenge (PMW)
- Nexen Tire extends participation in NLS Racing V6 Class for 2025 (PMW)
- New owners, new ambitions for Willow Springs (RACER)
- Sold: Singer, Yes That One, Will Run Private Club at Renovated Willow Springs Raceway (The Drive)
- New ownership at Willow Springs aims to host major events (RACER)
- $14.9 million election promise for Bathurst circuit (SpeedCafe)
- Horse Technologies to supply Caterham Academy with engines for 2026 season (PMW)
- Speed sport 1 is the new TV home for trans am, FR Americas, F4 U.S., and Ligier JFC (Speed Sport)
- Lewis Hamilton is F1’s undisputed biggest earner on Social Media (Esquire Middle East)
- Racing Force and Al Kamel Systems announce the launch of Zeronoise Communications Services (Racing Force)
- IHRA Finalizes Purchase of GALOT Motorsports Park (IHRA)
- Formula E and PIF announce Driving Force partnership (Formula E)
- Puma CEO Arne Freundt Is Out as Company Cites ‘Differing Views on Strategy Execution,’ Adidas Alum Takes His Place (Footwear News)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
An F1 Constructors’ Circularity Handbook has been released, and all teams and the FIA will be looking to apply its lessons to F1 as part of F1’s Net Zero 2030 commitment. I also look at technology transfer from Nissan’s Formula E team to their road vehicles, the role F1 fans play in sustainability and Mission H24’s collaboration with Bosch Motorsport. All this and more in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup.
The Numbers
NASCAR averaged 2.52 million viewers on FS1 at last weekend’s throwback race in Darlington. Meanwhile, Formula One averaged 534,000 viewers on ESPN for the Japanese Grand Prix, which started at 1am ET. BlackBook Motorsport has all the details.
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
NASCAR filed a brief urging the appellate court to reverse a trial judge’s injunction on grounds that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have—as NASCAR spins it—obtained a nonsensical outcome, contending the 2025 charter agreement violates antitrust law while receiving injunctions binding them to the charter.
Meanwhile, the two teams have asked a Colorado federal judge to force the commercial rights owner of Formula One to turn over revenue data and other records, arguing they need the information to prove monopoly claims against NASCAR.
If that wasn’t enough, Legacy Motor Club has sued fellow Cup Series team Rick Ware Racing (RWR) in a clash over the potential sale of a charter. “Despite having a binding deal in place, RWR wants to back out,’ the suit said. ‘It has told Legacy that it will not, under any circumstances, close the parties’ transaction. Legacy has tried to talk sense into RWR, to no avail. Legacy’s patience has run out. It now brings this suit to enforce its rights and hold RWR to its deal.”
The Western Springs Speedway Association (WSSA) has filed at the High Court of New Zealand for a judicial review of Auckland Council’s decision to consolidate the region’s speedway activities. In a statement, WSSA said it had witnessed “a disturbing abuse of process” by the Auckland Council.
Here are the videos from the recent Motorsports Law conference which are accessible to LawInSport Plus and Institutional Members.
- Commercialisation of Rights & Data: Watch here.
- New Competitions, Investment & Sustainability: Watch here.
- Women in Motorsport – Developing Drivers & Opportunities for Women in Motorsport: Watch here.
- Regulatory & Governance Update: Watch here.
- FIM Update on new Dispute Resolution Procedures: Watch here.
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
Here are the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- Trio of new sponsors for Juncos Hollinger Racing and Meyer Shank Racing line up for Long Beach (RACER)
- Supercars Announces Trico As Wiper Partner (Ministry of Sport)
- F1: Ferrari check in multi-year deal with hotel company Espacio (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Team Vitality Signs Sponsorship Deal With NESCAFÉ LATTE (Esports Advocate)
- Trackhouse Racing Partners with Very Good Ventures to Drive Digital Experience Innovation in Motorsports (Yahoo Finance)
- Wera Tools F4 British Championship partners with Safety Rocks for 2025 and beyond (British F4)
- Why do sponsors end their partnerships? Here are five common scenarios (SportsPro)
- Cult menswear brand LESTRANGE is backed by Jenson Button – and a growing list of devotees (Gentleman’s Journal)
- European Truck Racing Championship welcomes Eurowag as official partner (BlackBook Motorsport)
- From Markets to Motorsports: WeTrade Joins Forces with Phantom Global Racing (Business Insider)
- BJR brings Wendy’s livery back for Taupo (SpeedCafe)
- In-Depth Exploration of Formula E’s Commercial Landscape Report 2024-2025 – Global Electric Racing Series Drives Forward (BusinessWire)
- Powder Monkey Brewing Co. partner with Un-Limited Motorsport to support Nicolas Hamilton Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season. (Portsmouth News)
- Renee Gracie opens up on OnlyFans deal as controversial partnership extended (Wide World of Sports)
- Racing Force and Al Kamel Systems announce the launch of Zeronoise Communications Services (Racing Force)
- Formula 1 Utilizes Lego Partnership For International Growth (Forbes)
- Mics Out podcast | F1 and Lego: Building fandom in the next generation (BlackBook Motorsport)
- IndyCar Keeps It In The State With Sukup As Iowa Speedway Race Sponsor (Forbes)
- Banc of California Celebrates 50 Years of Racing Excellence With 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (Business Wire)
- AO Racing chooses Halo By Orthene for 2025 IMSA campaign (Halo by Orthene)
- Digital Speedways: How Crypto Companies are Transforming Professional Auto Racing Sponsorships (SC Now)
The Business of Running a Race Team
Penske is considering a financing plan for the new IndyCar chassis that is scheduled to be introduced in 2027. RACER has learned of a team-friendly plan being considered where Penske would shoulder those new-car costs, for those who are interested, and spread the reimbursement over multiple years to alleviate the financial burden. If the idea becomes a reality, team owners would enter into loan and repayment agreements with the series’ owner. The idea is still at an early stage, and some of the finer details have yet to be defined.
Team & Manufacturer News
Here is a roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- Toyota GAZOO Racing Reveals New GR Corolla Development Vehicle (Toyota)
- Mygale becomes Ligier Advanced Technologies (Ligier)
- GMG All-In for Sofronas’ 20th Anniversary Long Beach Race (Sportscar365)
- Lionspeed Adds Second Porsche For GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, Confirms Drivers (Daily Sportscar)
- “Business as usual” for Aston Martin in Japan after stake sale plan (Autosport)
- Idris Elba, MrBeast, and untapped potential: How Cupra Kiro plan to transcend Formula E (BlackBook Motorsport)
- McLaren to fight for Le Mans 24 Hours win with WEC 2027 entry (Autosport)
- MKS Eyes Long-Term Success With CarGuy Racing (Sportscar365)
- Genesis GMR-001 Makes South Korean Debut (Daily Sportscar)
- How Max Verstappen’s ambitious new GT project has come together (Autosport)
- Haas statement on tariffs ‘does not have any impact’ on F1 team (RACER)
- Lola Cars extends Formula E technical partnership with Yamaha (BlackBook Motorsport)
Motorsport Movers & Shakers
Esquire Middle East profiles Mercedes F1 team principle Toto Wolff. “It’s always exciting embarking on a new season,” he says, exuding the same excitement he’s carried since taking the reins at Mercedes over a decade ago. “It hasn’t changed since 2012. You don’t really know what to expect, how the car is going to perform.” The unknowns are what drive him, a perpetual chase for that extra tenth of a second, that marginal gain that keeps Mercedes at the forefront of Formula 1.” Read the full profile here.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. 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.
