Formula 1 is preparing for 2026 and in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup you will find out how. I also have details of the latest FIA World Motor Sport Council decisions, a peek at the new IndyCar chassis and the latest developments in motorsport law. (Updated to include the passage of the FIA governance reform proposals.)
Motorsport Industry News
FIA
A number of decisions were announced after the recent FIA World Motor Sport Council meetings in Rwanda and here are a few summaries that have been published. The meetings are ongoing and there has been no news at the time of this writing as to whether the changes in governance that I mentioned last week were passed. UPDATE! The motion was passed. Autosport has the details here.
- World Motor Sport Council meeting in Rwanda heralds long-term vision for WRC, a Global Karting Plan and a regulatory framework for Esports (FIA)
- FIA approves key Formula 1, WRC rule changes (SpeedCafe)
- FIA reveals massive cost-cutting exercise for new-look WRC (SpeedCafe)
- FIA introducing “Operational Regulations” and gender-neutral terms to F1 rules (RaceFans)
- FIA reveals 2027 WRC regulations, new points system for 2025 (Autosport)
- FIA makes updates to F1 Sporting, Technical, Financial and new Operational regulations (Motorsport Week)
- ‘Not good governance’ – Controversial FIA proposal explained (The Race)
Formula 1
In Formula 1 news, the WMSC mentioned above passed some 2025 rule changes and 2026 tweaks as well as revealing new images of the 2026 F1 car being used for aerodynamic testing. The updated renders follow an initial release of images in June, with the revisions predominantly coming at the front and rear wings.
You can view more pictures of the new car at Motorsport Week here and Autosport summarizes the upcoming changes here.
BlackBook Motorsport looks back at the 2024 F1 season and picks out the key attendance, TV viewership, and commercial figures from the year. Read their full report here.
Speaking of numbers, Front Office Sports reports that the U.S. TV ratings were similar to 2023 but below the record highs of 2022.
“F1’s 2024 season averaged 1.1 million across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, tying the same number from last year, but down versus the all-time record of 1.21 million viewers set in 2022. The final number ESPN reported does not include all 24 races this year because the Brazilian Grand Prix, which averaged just 554,000 viewers, was originally scheduled to air on ESPN2 but aired on ESPNU for the first 68 minutes as the race was rescheduled due to inclement weather.”
Read the details here.
John Wall Street explains why some industry insiders believe Liberty’s decision to approve GM’s bid dilutes the property’s core value proposition and its scarcity. Read the reasoning here.
While F1 is enjoying a Drive to Survive global boom with countries clambering to host a race, Germany is not one of them according to Nordot. “What Germany mainly lacks is a driver in a top team,” former Williams team principal Jost Capito said, adding that other countries were going through a similar experience.”
Formula 1 has announced the Chinese Grand Prix has signed a new deal that will see the series visit Shanghai until at least 2030. “Our return to China this season for the first time since 2019 was a fantastic moment for the sport, and it is incredible to see the levels of support that we enjoy in the country continuing to grow year-on-year,” said F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali.
Former F1 boss Chase Carey was back in the paddock in Abu Dhabi last weekend having been appointed a director of Liberty Media. Autosport understands Carey won’t be actively involved on a day-to-day basis in the running of the series, which remains Domenicali’s remit.
General Motorsport Industry News
As MotoGP signs a new five-year deal for a Brazilian Grand Prix, Liberty Media is facing an EU probe over their purchase of the motorcycle series according to Reuters.
“The European Union is set to probe Formula One owner Liberty Media’s $3.67 billion deal for the motorcycle racing league MotoGP World Championship. … The new EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera’s team is worried that the merger could stifle competition in broadcasting and streaming sectors by bringing two major motorsports brands under a single umbrella.”
Penske Entertainment revealed the first rendering of its proposed 2027 IndyCar during a private teleconference with its team owners in October. Not everybody likes the direction the car design is headed according to RACER.
“One team owner sent an email to most (but not all) of the other owners urging for a complete do-over of the 2027 concept. In the group email, the owner said they attached a photo of the Red Bull X1 open-wheel concept penned by Adrian Newey as an example of the forward-looking design they want to see emerge from the new car development process.”
Read more about the team reactions here.
Formula E is looking at holding a large-scale event at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to help plug its eight-week calendar gap between mid-February and mid-April next year according to The Race.
“It’s still very conceptual and we’re starting to understand more of what the concept is, we’re starting to understand where some of the costs might lie, the share of responsibility there,” said Andretti team principal Griffiths.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- Michelin to Remain Hypercar Tire Supplier Until At Least 2029 (Sportscar365)
- Formula 1’s Highest-Paid Drivers 2024 (Forbes)
- Aston Martin F1 and TikTok launch new talent search for content creators (SIG)
- Aston Martin F1 team launches new concert space (BBC)
- Investigation: How UK club racing faced a tricky 2024 (Autosport
- The warnings that should be heeded from UK club racing statistical deep dive (Autosport)
- The business of building a race track in the modern era (Motorsport.com)
- Multimatic acquires racing damper brand PKM Consulting (PMW)
- Formula E announces Max Adkins as new Chief Financial Officer (Formula E)
- Emerson Fittipaldi: Formula E is ‘growing’ amid F1’s popularity (Motorsport Week)
- FIA Launches 3rd Edition of the FIA Motorsport Engineering Scholarship (FIA)
- These Entrepreneurs Created a League That Turns Gamers Into Pro Race Car Drivers (Entrepreneur)
- Richard Buck appointed as new Indy NXT director (RACER)
- Apple wraps ‘F1’ filming with Cook in Abu Dhabi (Sports Business Journal)
- A year on from selling his charter, B.J. McLeod has zero regrets (RACER)
- F1 Academy driver Chloe Chambers dreams of racing as a reality show (Motorsport.com)
- Rod Campbell Award returns for fifth year (RACER)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Formula E may need to move away from city circuits with their upcoming Gen4 car and in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup you will find out why. You will also find out how the series is reducing the carbon footprint of their freight, find out about the tech behind Extreme H and get the chance to drive a McMurtry Spéirling on track.
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
In Joe Saward’s latest Green Notebook he talks about the arbitration award of $3 million in legal fees that was apparently awarded to Hitech Grand Prix when the FIA denied their F1 application and yet green lit the arguably inferior Andretti bid.
“I would love to see what the arbitration judgement says (that’s a hint, by the way) because obviously the judge involved cannot have been entirely happy to have reached this situation. Still, it would be good to know why Andretti/Cadillac/GM/Walter (choose whichever name best suits) bid was accepted and why Hitech was rejected. I have tried all manner of means (bribery, blackmail etc) to get someone to slip me the judgement so I can fully understand.”
You can read his latest, always informative Green Notebook here.
NASCAR has urged a North Carolina federal judge to reject a renewed injunction bid by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports that have accused the organization of monopolizing premier motorsport racing, arguing that despite “manufactured evidence,” the teams still haven’t made a showing of irreparable harm.
Michael Jordan’s response? In a new court filing Thursday he asserted that NASCAR is “blaming victims for asserting their antitrust rights” and that the two teams should be awarded an injunction against NASCAR according to Sportico.
“In Thursday’s brief, which is partially redacted, 23XI Racing and Front Row insist they have demonstrated irreparable harm—a kind of harm that money can’t remedy—because they can only compete as chartered teams if they release their antitrust claims.”
Cervantic has released their 24H Series regulations that have been tweaked for 2025 and amongst the changes is a new right of review system according to Daily Sportscar.
“To alleviate potential team discord, Creventic is introducing a right of review system to the 24H Series in accordance with international FIA regulations. Any team that wishes to formally challenge a penalty imposed during a 24H SERIES event can send their written protest and €1000 deposit to the KNAC Nationale Autosport Federatie sporting authority in The Netherlands for review post-event.”
I wrote about this last July but the ruling has been recently affirmed by an American appeals court. A solo personal injury lawyer can’t deduct the costs of car racing as a marketing activity. Full details can be found in the ABA Journal here.
Motorsport Sponsorship & Partnership News
Here are the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- Going for broke – AvaTrade secures fresh F1 link with Red Bull (Autosport)
- Formula E announces partnership with Marca (Formula E)
- Chivas Regal gives Ferrari its own Tartan Army (Autosport)
- How Glenfiddich accelerated into the fast lane (The Drinks Business)
- Santander joins Williams as Official Partner for 2025 and beyond (Williams F1)
- Williams already banking on Sainz success as Santander sponsorship announced (Autosport)
- NASCAR appoints Stratasys as official 3D printing partner (PMW)
- Brad Keselowski Sets The Record Straight After Sponsor Decision Faces Criticism (Newsweek)
- Mastercard aims big with McLaren F1 sponsorship (Sports Business Journal)
- Why Red Bull’s second F1 team is fixing its ‘rushed’ team name (The Race)
- NASCAR secures GovX as presenting sponsor of Miltix programme (BlackBook Motorsport)
- F1 and Pacsun extend fashion licensing deal that aims to attract new Gen-Z fans (Autosport)
- Aston Martin F1 Team aiming for quadrupling of licensing revenue as commercial deals hot up (Sports Business Journal)
- AERO Marketing Group and Racer Media & Marketing Announces Strategic Partnership (Aero)
- Burt Brothers Tire and Service Inks Deal with Utah Motorsports Campus in Long-Term Partnership (Utah Motorsports Campus)
Team & Manufacturer News
Here is a roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- Genesis LMDh launch makes its level of commitment clear (RACER)
- Genesis ‘Wants to Take Bit of Time’ Selecting U.S. Partner (Sportscar365)
- Why racing giant Lola has chosen Formula E for its resurrection (The Race)
- Hitech GP Joins the F1 Academy Grid From 2025 (Hitech GP)
- Porsche Motorsport and Iron Dames launch far-reaching partnership (Porsche)
- RFK Racing aims higher with expansion to three cars (RACER)
- McLaren F1 Team Nearly Folded in 2020. An American Exec Just Led It to the Top (Front Office Sports)
- McLaren’s Zak Brown: ‘If you don’t play the game, you get shoved off the track’ (Financial Times)
- Arise Racing GT Ferraris Join Bathurst 12H Grid (Sportscar365)
- How a GT3 Team Tackles the Alluring Challenge of Macau (Racecar Engineering)
- Slade leaves Haas F1 team on eve of Magnussen’s final race (Adam Cooper)
- Ferrari veteran Greenwood takes up fulltime Alpine F1 role (Adam Cooper)
- Porsche Firms Up 2025 Driver Roster & Wider Motorsport Plans (Daily Sportscar)
- Proton Could Abandon Porsche 963 IMSA GTP Program (Sportscar365)
- Ginetta Team With DKR Engineering For ELMS Return (Ginetta)
- Simpson: DKR LMP3 Signing A “Milestone Moment” For Ginetta (Daily Sportscar)
- Hyundai reveals Elantra N1 TC Evo race car (PMW)
- Hyundai is taking this 315bhp Elantra Evo touring car… touring car racing (Top Gear)
- Analysis: How McLaren went from “chaos” to F1 champions (Motorsport.com)
- Suzuki president shows interest in returning to MotoGP (Autosport)
- New Porsche team Allied Racing joins DTM in 2025, signs ex-Audi driver Feller (Autosport)
- Roland Dane steps down from Triple Eight board (SpeedCafe)
- The Heart of Racing Joins Fanatec GT World Challenge America in 2025 (The Heart of Racing)
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing timing full-time IndyCar return for 2027 (Autosport)
- Peugeot “Underestimated” Gap Between Old and New 9X8 (Sportscar365)
- Kondo Racing to Make N24 Return With Ferrari (Sportscar365)
- CB Motorsports Returns to IMSA And Mx-5 Competition In 2025 (RTD Media)
- RAFA Racing Merges with Smooge for Expansive Program (Sportscar365)
- Ferrari to power Cadillac F1 team in “multi-year” agreement (Autosport)
- Iron Dames to run all-female crew in 2025 WRC (Autosport)
- GruppeM Mercedes-AMG Confirmed for Bathurst 12H (Sportscar365)
- Touron pairs up with Rahal as race engineer for 2025 IndyCar season (RACER)
- Chip Ganassi Racing to hold garage sale (RACER)
- University of Wolverhampton Racing Partners with Revolution Race Cars for the 2025 Season (Revolution Race Cars)
- KTM set for further job cuts amid financial crisis (Motorsport Week)
- Pfaff Confirms Switch to Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 (Sportscar365)
- KMW with TMR Switches to Honda TCR Effort (Sportscar365)
- Spa 24-winning Aston Martin team Comtoyou Racing targeting DTM entry (Autosport)
- Jaguar FE team eager to play its part in the brand’s new era (RACER)
- Team Studie Set For BMW M4 GT3 EVO Upgrade (Sportscar365)
- DragonSpeed Moves to GTD Pro; Signs Costa (Sportscar365)
- TF Sport, Trackhouse Join Forces for All-Star Corvette Entry (Sportscar365)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former 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.
