Apple is looking to increase its F1 relationship in 2026 by winning American broadcast rights and this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup has the details. I also have news on NASCAR’s move to Southern California, the FIA presidential candidacy of Tim Mayer and the latest motorsport legal news. All this and much more!
Motorsport Industry News
Formula 1
Formula One is trending toward choosing Apple for its United States broadcasting rights from 2026, the technology company’s bid being in the $120-150 million per year range according to The Athletic. They are also aiming to continue their F1 TV product according to SBJ’s Adam Stern. Steve McCaskill from SportsPro explains why Apple’s F1 rights bid makes sense despite some saying that F1’a American growth has potentially peaked.
“The catalyst has been the critical acclaim and commercial success of ‘F1: The Movie’, which is by far and away Apple’s biggest theatrical triumph. The company now sees the live rights to the sport as a way to expand its audience in the US, hoping the combined impact of the film and the ‘Drive to Survive’ docuseries on Netflix can drive subscriptions.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has signaled a possible return of V8 engines to Formula 1 by 2029 for a number of reasons, foremost amongst them is that of cost. “R&D is reaching 200 million (dollars), and the engine is costing approximately 1.8 to 2.1, so if we go with a straight V8, let’s see.”
Stuart Codling of Autosport explains why his plan just might work. “V8s, as now espoused by Ben Sulayem, are more acceptable to the manufacturers since many of them still have engines of that configuration somewhere in the range. At the same time the idea of internal combustion is undergoing something of a renaissance, owing to new technologies and developments in the global trading picture.”
Gayton McKenzie has named MTN, MultiChoice, Heineken and billionaire Johann Rupert as potential sponsors of a South African Grand Prix. “Speaking to parliament on Tuesday, he said after meetings with the management of F1, the “crucial one” would happen in the next two weeks and would be attended by potential sponsors ready to fund the event, which reputedly costs about R2bn.”
Speaking on the James Allen on F1 podcast, Formula 1 chief commercial officer Emily Prazer called on the series to keep “pushing the boundaries” after recent success with the likes of LEGO and LVMH. “We have to keep innovating and pushing the boundaries, but we all have leaders above us and amazing teams below us to help us get there. So I’m very excited about what’s to come.”
General Motorsport Industry News
Tim Mayer has launched his bid for the FIA presidency. Here is some background information if you want to know more about his platform.
- Inside Tim Mayer’s bid for FIA presidency – “it’s about moving forward” (Autosport)
- Green Notebook from Marsh Gibbon (Joe Saward)
- A deep dive into FIA presidential candidate Tim Mayer (Autosport)
- What are Tim Mayer’s chances of winning the FIA presidency? (Autosport)
- Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Tim Mayer and FIA presidential election race explained after combative start (Sky Sports)
- Senior FIA figure accuses presidential candidate for ‘false claims’ (Planet F1)
In the heart of Johor’s Iskandar Puteri region, a major new motorsport venue is fast taking shape, Sunway Circuit Iskandar Puteri. Positioned just minutes from the Singapore-Malaysia border, this ambitious project is expected to become one of Southeast Asia’s most advanced racing facilities, aiming to attract motorsport professionals and enthusiasts from around the region and beyond. Asian Motorsport has all the details.
Penske Entertainment VP Michael Montri says there is no immediate decision to offer regarding Iowa Speedway’s future place on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule. “This year was definitely a reset for us after three years of having A-List concerts, two per day over the course of the weekend with Hy-Vee support there, and this year not having any of that,” Montri told RACER.
Vincenzo Landino explains IndyCar’s 364-day problem. “Despite producing some of the most competitive racing on the planet, IndyCar faces a fundamental identity crisis that extends far beyond marketing—it’s a structural problem rooted in economic dependency, technical confusion, and strategic misalignment that prevents the series from capitalizing on its competitive advantages outside of its crown jewel event.”
NASCAR will not return to Chicago in 2026 but has not ruled out eventually running the street course again in the future but they are headed for San Diego next season. “RACER has learned a deal has been reached for NASCAR to return to Southern California next year, and the announcement of the event could come as soon as next week.”
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- NASCAR evaluating Chicagoland Speedway return (Sports Business Journal)
- EchoPark signs multimillion-dollar deal for Atlanta Motor Speedway naming rights (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Norris brand Quadrant sells majority stake to Veloce (Autosport)
- How a Brad Pitt movie convinced Apple to spend $150M on racing (Business of Speed)
- Ever Wondered How Ferrari Really Makes Its Money? Spoiler: It’s not just from selling high-end cars (Malte Karstan)
- In their own rhythm: neurodivergent women in the paddock (Racing Women)
- The hidden value of F1: Lessons in sustainable high performance for leaders – from the pinnacle of motorsports (Hintsa)
- Analysis Stocks of ‘F1 The Movie’ sponsors were ready for close-up after premiere (Sports Business Journal)
- MotoGP grants five-year extension to German GP (BlackBook Motorsport)
- The Future Of Porsche’s Racing Tech Transfer to Street Cars? Software (MotorTrend)
- The 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed: Where Heritage and Future Collide (Pitlane News)
- Crown Concepts acquires Radical Arizona, expands partnership with Radical Motorsport (RACER)
- Brand new western Australian regional racetrack emerges (V8 Sleuth)
- SEGG Media Invests in Veloce Media Group to Accelerate Strategic Expansion in Esports, Motorsports and Immersive Digital Content (PR)
- Thunder Valley Raceway Park Closes With Lease Termination (Dragzine)
- The FIRM sues the Keystone Airport Authority (Grassroots Motorsports)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Team Suzuki CN Challenge will be running the Suzuka 8 Hours with 100% sustainable fuel, and I have the details in last week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. I also have news on Williams Racing partnering with sustainable sportswear pioneers Reflo, exploring the concept of petrosynthesis and its potential to revolutionize the motorsport industry and the fallout from McLaren leaving Formula E.
The Numbers
Motorsports viewership in the U.S. the weekend of April 18th (via Adam Stern):
1) NASCAR Cup (TNT/truTV): 2.189 million viewers
2) NASCAR Xfinity (The CW): 972,000
3) IndyCar (Fox, Iowa No. 2): 719,000
4) IndyCar (Fox, Iowa No. 1): 576,000
5) IMSA (USA Network): 77,000
6) MotoGP sprint race (FS1): 39,000
7) MotoGP grand prix (FS2): 27,000
- Low attendance at Iowa IndyCar race clouds future (Sports Business Journal)
- Ups and downs for Iowa IndyCar TV audience (RACER)
- IndyCar and FOX reach a ratings milestone ahead of Iowa (RACER)
- NASCAR averages 2.2m viewers at Sonoma as IndyCar sees Iowa TV ratings dip (BlackBook Motorsport)
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports competed as Open teams last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway and next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after being denied a temporary restraining order to keep NASCAR from revoking their charters.
Legacy Motor Club have filed yet another lawsuit, this time against Spire Motorsports founder TJ Puchyr for his attempted takeover of Rick Ware Racing (RWR). “The Athletic reported that the dispute centres around when the charter would be transferred. RWR believed the charter agreement was in place for 2027, but Legacy changed the year to 2026 without communicating to team owner Rick Ware or any other representative that it had done so. In response, RWR countersued Legacy over the disagreement.”
In an advertorial, Racecar Engineering looks at the importance of intellectual property in motorsport. “‘Intellectual property protection is an area that many businesses overlook, but it is essential in the whole knowledge economy – and that applies particularly in an arms race for innovation like motorsport,’ says RDA’s founder and managing director, Kevin Auchoybur.”
The two-month contract conflict between Aprilia and Jorge Martin is over. Autosport takes a look at the sequence of events that led to this moment.
Streaming now, episode 15 of the Blackstone Chambers Sports Law Podcast: Life as a Sports Lawyer.
Host Nick De Marco KC is joined by an expert panel: Caroline McGrory, Chief Legal Officer at Cadillac F1; Angelique Richardson, Senior Associate at Lawrence Stephens; Celia Rooney, barrister at Blackstone Chambers; and Iain Taker, Legal Director at Watford FC.
In this episode, Nick and his guests discuss what life is really like as a sports lawyer. The panel explores the varied work that sports lawyers undertake, their favourite aspects of the job, and the paths each of them took to reach their current roles. They conclude by sharing their top tips for anyone aspiring to work in sports law.
You can listen to the podcast here.
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
The latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- Why EA, SharkNinja, MSC Cruises, and Expensify Backed F1 The Movie’s Fictional Racing Team (ADWEEK)
- F1 The Movie: A different kind of Formula 1 sponsorship (The Sponsor)
- Love of motorsports leads to title sponsorship for President and CEO of Sukup Manufacturing Co. (Hello Iowa)
- JR Motorsports Announces Multi-Year Extension With Roto-Rooter (Toby Christie)
- Dollar Tree Signs Sponsorship Extension with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (Toby Christie)
- Lola cars and Warner Bros. Discovery announce multi-year partnership with Superman Livery (Afaqs)
- How brands and rightsholders are connecting to sports fans by owning the moments that matter (SIG)
- F1 returns to Globo in three-year contract (Sport Business)
- The Rise of Clothing & Beauty Brand Partnerships in F1 Academy (Females in Motorsport)
- Reflo Joins Atlassian Williams Racing to Drive Forward Sustainable Sportswear (Williams F1)
- SRO America to Launch New Streaming Multiplayer at VIR Powered by Vbrick and GPX Stream (SRO)
Team & Manufacturer News
A roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- BMW, Rahal Letterman Lanigan to split (RACER)
- What’s behind BMW and Rahal’s big sportscar split (The Race)
- James Expecting Heart of Racing GT3 Program to Continue in 2026 (Sportscar365)
- Inside Cadillac’s $1 Billion Formula 1 Bet (Huddle Up)
- The 2% Club – has there been a hidden power shift at Red Bull? (Autosport)
- Mark Hughes: Only losers from Red Bull’s shock Horner firing (The Race)
- Christian Horner poised to pocket huge settlement after abrupt Red Bull F1 departure (Motorsport Week)
- The biggest challenges Red Bull faces after sacking Christian Horner (Motorsport.com)
- How a Team Splits at the Seams (Formula Flash)
- How Aston’s AI partner will help Adrian Newey build 2026 F1 car (Autosport)
- We Saw McLaren’s Le Mans-Level Hypercar at Goodwood—and Can’t Believe It’s for Customers (Auto Blog)
- Why F1 teams face some painful development trade-offs (RACER)
- Juncos Hollinger “assessing the damage” after hauler catches fire (RACER)
- GM reveals plan for Supercars summit in US (SpeedCafe)
- AF Corse Ferraris Return for VIR in Grid Boost (Sportscar365)
- Ed Carpenter Racing to Build New Headquarters in The City of Westfield (ECR)
- Cadillac: Building Formula 1’s American Dream (Business of Speed)
- What Team Jota must still achieve to become a sportscar great (Autosport Plus)
- Why Barclay deems Jaguar’s FE season a success despite mid-season dip (RACER)
- Sharp Renault stock price collapse as Alpine deliver update on F1 operations (Planet F1)
- Porsche GTP/Hypercar program at the crossroads (RACER)
- Victor Gonzalez Racing Makes Mid-Season Switch to CUPRA (Sportscar365)
- Flying Lizard Motorsports Returns to GT4 America with Father-Son Duo in BMW M4 GT4 (Flying Lizard)
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.
