Liberty Media is seeing positive first quarter revenue growth from F1, and MotoGP and this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup has the details. I also have news on the F1 calendar, IndyCar expansion plans and much more.
Overview
Motorsport Industry News
F1 and MotoGP Revenue Bolsters Liberty’s Bottom Line
Formula One saw its Q1 revenues rise 53 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to US$617 million for the three months ended 31st March 2026 while MotoGP’s Q1 revenue increased 25 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to US$94 million as Liberty Media begins its first full financial year since acquiring the championship in July 2025.
Why Bahrain and Saudi Arabia May Still Host a Grand Prix in F1 2026
The forced postponement of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia leaves F1 with a complex scheduling puzzle, which also weighs heavily on the teams. Autosport looks at what rearranging the events means for the series.
“We will be thoughtful in our approach, and we will continuously evaluate the calendar this year. It might be possible to reschedule one race toward the end of the season,” Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang said.
One option mentioned at SpeedCafe is Turkey in case that these races cannot be rescheduled. “FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed Istanbul Park was among the contingency options being considered should Bahrain or Saudi Arabia remain unable to be rescheduled because of the ongoing regional conflict.”
How Apple’s F1 Deal is Faring So Far
Key figures from Formula 1, Apple and Liberty Media have been discussing the early returns on the sport’s landmark US broadcast switch – and the verdict is broadly positive.
“Viewership increased through the first three races of the year. Anytime you change broadcast partners, you always run the risk of having a lot of fan outlash – that they can’t find it, or things like that, or it’s not as good. We haven’t had any of that. In fact, it’s been to the positive in terms of how consumers have been interacting with the product and the commentary out there has been it’s been a good experience for them.”
Apple also feels that the sky’s the limit for F1’s growth potential in the U.S. “I think there is a huge opportunity. It’s not a 10 or 20 percent. I think it’s a ‘how many times X can we grow it over the years?“
The Race looks at what the recently announced Sky deal means for Apple and their global streaming plans. “The suggestion of a global deal happening any time soon fell away this week, though, with the announcement of a new TV deal between F1 and Sky until 2034.”
Inside The Negotiations That Put Cadillac On The Formula One Grid
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem sat down with Forbes to discuss the strategic inclusion of the Cadillac-Andretti 11th team to grow the U.S. market and the implementation of the cost cap to ensure competitive parity.
FIA Announces 2027 F1 Rule Changes for Combustion and Electrical Output
Formula 1 will shift away from the current split between combustion and electric power, which is close to 50:50 this year, for the 2027 season, the FIA has announced. “The measures agreed in principle today for 2027 would see a nominal increase in Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) power by ~50kW with a fuel-flow increase and a nominal reduction of the Energy Recovery System (ERS) deployment power by ~50kW.”
With the constant tweaking of the new 2026 rules already happening both now and in 2027, The Race argues that F1 should end their obsession with road relevancy while Autosport points out that the whole debate over engines is really a battle for control.
F1 Vegas Says it’s Making Gains in Community Relations, Mixed-Use Development Business
The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix ’s mixed-use development, Grand Prix Plaza, is starting to give the auto racing series the dual benefit of improving its community relations and growing its business, according to Emily Prazer, president and CEO of the event.
“When we were first there and having problems and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’re just repaving the roads,’ we had no opportunity to showcase who we are, what we’re doing … that we can have people there and we have a dedicated community affairs team who are crushing it. We had Make-A-Wish America do a program in Grand Prix Plaza last week.”
IndyCar Series Sees Momentum with TV Ratings, New Events
INDYCAR’s Mark Miles says that he thinks the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington “rivaled anything that Formula 1 does in this country,” and that more race ventures are forthcoming with National Football League (NFL) teams: “There’s going to be more. This got the attention of other NFL owners that we’re talking with. But we don’t want to be a one-trick pony; we love the partnerships and when you bring in partners that bring real strategic benefits, it’s a great plus.”
On where IndyCar wants to grow: “Ultimately, it’s going to be more television revenues. We don’t have huge television revenues. If you look at NASCAR, they’re like a billion dollars a year. Formula 1 globally is about a billion dollars a year. We’re not in that zip code yet, and I don’t know when we’ll get to there — but a useful increase all drops to the bottom line here, so that’s going to be the thing. That’s probably 2030-ish before we’ll have a real opportunity, but if we hit all the marks right now, I think that’s going to be very real.”
How IMSA’s Growth in Digital Media is Driving the Series Forward
Less than five years ago, just coming out of the COVID pandemic, there were certain events on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule that simply struggled to attract fans. The overall demographic was aging and TV ratings were not showing any sizable growth.
Now, in addition to growth on YouTube. IMSA recently reached 4 million total followers across all of its social media platforms, marking a 208 percent increase since 2023 and considerable 500 percent increase in video consumption, from 98 to 595 million annual views.
Sportscar365+ looks into the numbers and the growth.
Throwback Weekends Drive 32% Merch Growth & Record Crowds
Throwback weekends are delivering proven results for motorsports series: 32% merchandise revenue growth, record on-site attendance, and higher digital engagement. Data from 2025-2026 shows heritage-themed events create reliable sponsor ROI and tangible fan growth in a volatile broadcast market. Vantage dives into why.
Why WEC is in a Great Place Heading into the Le Mans 24 Hours
BMW won the Spa 6 Hours last weekend amid strong showings for the other manufacturers, indicating the fight for Le Mans victory next month will be wide open. Autosport looks at where the WEC is now.
When to Expect a New MotoGP Manufacturer
CFMoto Aspar boss Jorge Martinez has denied reporting that his team is preparing to return to MotoGP in 2027 – but acknowledged the premier class is in the Chinese factory’s longer-term plans. The Race looks into when we can expect a new MotoGP manufacturer.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
The MSC Cruise Ship at the Miami Grand Prix and More
- Switzerland Just Lifted the Racing Ban It Passed After the 1955 Le Mans Disaster (The Drive)
- You Can’t Outrace the System: Gender Inequality in Motorsport (Mlle Racing)
- Audi Made Its Formula 1 Debut In Miami And Brought The Culture With It (Essence)
- The Rise of Content Creators in Formula 1 (Verge)
- Miami to Expand Paddock Club Hospitality With New Extension Overlooking Turn 1, Making It One of the Largest in Formula 1 (HOK)
- Max Verstappen effect hits Nurburgring in historic ticket announcement (Planet F1)
- F1 beyond the metrics: building value over follower counts (Sector)
- From Port to Pole: MSC Cruises Debuts Yacht Club Experience at Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix (Cruise Line)
- Drive to Survive and symbolic capital in Formula One (Sage Journals)
- The Making of a Special Livery (Paddock Project)
- Run for the SCCA Board of Directors? You Should! (SCCA)
- “It’s a business” – Lando Norris explains why drivers don’t have more say in F1’s rules (Motorsport.com)
- MotoAmerica partners with motorsports hiring platform to promote jobs (Powersports Business)
- Motegi decommissions its speedway oval (RACER)
- McLaren’s Papaya Revolution is Being Shaped by Women (Paddock Journal)
- GRIDLIFE, Formula DRIFT and Road Atlanta continue to rewrite the modern motorsports weekend (RACER)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Extreme H Returns to Qiddiya City
Extreme H is returning to Qiddiya City in 2026, and this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup has the details. I also have updates on Forza Motorsport, how Gen4 will change Formula E and more.
The Numbers This Week
Driver Social Media Value Miami GP
Kimi Antonelli took the win on the track and on social media during the Miami Grand Prix, generating an impressive $1.7M in owned social media value over the weekend!
TV Audience Dips for Indy GP
The sixth race of 2026 for the NTT IndyCar Series produced the smallest viewing audience of the season as an average of 656,000 people watched Christian Lundgaard take the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevy to victory lane at the Sonsio Grand Prix on FOX.
Motorsport Law Roundup
F1 Legal Counsel – Motorsport Opportunity
Formula 1 is looking for an exceptional Legal Counsel to join the Motorsport division of its highly-regarded Legal team, working on a broad variety of matters across F1, F2, F3 and the F1 Academy. This is a truly unique role that will suit an ambitious commercial contracts lawyer, or a corporate lawyer with sharp drafting skills and proven commercial acumen. Please follow the link to find out more: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4413963630/
It’s Time to Rebuild Kenya Motorsports —Tundo Says After Landmark Court Victory
Motorsports Kenya interim chair and rally icon Carl “Flash” Tundo says the sport is finally ready to shift gears and begin a long-overdue rebuild following a landmark High Court ruling that affirmed Motorsports Kenya as the legitimate governing body of the sport in the country.
Three of Kenya’s leading motorsport figures, Tundo, Erick Bengi and Sangita Gohil, powered to a decisive legal victory on April 30 at the Milimani Law Courts after Justice L.P. Kassan ruled that KMSF (Kenya Motorsports Federation) lacked locus standi, with costs awarded in their favour.
The Law UK Sports Power List: Superstars
Cadillac F1’s Chief Legal Officer, Caroline McGrory, has been named to the Law UK Sports Power List. Caroline played a pivotal role in our journey to the grid, navigating over two years of negotiations with the FIA and Formula One Management to secure our entry. Seeing us successfully debut two cars at the first Grand Prix of the 2026 season was a highlight of her career.
Read more about her story in the industry: https://www.law-uk.com/deals/the-law-uk-sports-power-list-superstars
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
Williams’s Sponsorship Strategy and More
- “We had 17 partners generating no money”: How Williams rebuilt their sponsorship model from scratch (BlackBook Motorsport)
- The Rise of Casino Sponsorships in Professional Motor Racing (EV Powered)
- Battle of the Brands: How adidas & PUMA Approach F1 Partnerships (Paddock Journal)
- F1 sponsorship just crossed $3 billion. So what? (RTR Sports Marketing)
- F1 sponsorship now $2.5billion as gap to NFL slashed (The Race)
- Inspire Africa, Inertia Racing partner to promote coffee consumption through motorsport (Nile Post)
- McLaren Racing Announces Airwallex as an Official Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team (McLaren Racing)
- Why Haas approached Infobip to keep its F1 fans connected (Sector)
- Goodyear to become sponsor and sole tire supplier of the TGP Championship – German truck racing championship. (Goodyear)
- Global Switch Uses Motorsport Sponsorship to Underscore Data Centre Precision (Tip Ranks)
- From the Field Report on Sponsorship Sales (JP Moery)
- Intel Named Official Compute Partner of McLaren Racing (Intel)
- BWT out? Alpine issues statement amid new Gucci title sponsor rumours (Planet F1)
- Hard Rock Casino Tejon to sponsor Front Row Motorsports in Cup and Trucks (Jayski)
- How Coinpayments’ Aston Martin F1 deal grew on and off the track (Sector)
- Hyak Motorsports Announces Sponsorship with Sycuan Casino Resort (CatchFence)
The Business of Running a Race Team
Neri Autosport: The ‘David and Goliath’ Story of Euroformula Open’s Newest Team
It was not unexpected to see the return of Team Motopark and BVM Racing on this year’s Euroformula Open grid, but there was a surprise single-car entry appearing before the pre-season tests. French squad Neri Autosport made their debut in the series this year with Belgian driver Aaron Ferrazzano. Where does the team come from, and where are they going from here? Feeder Series has the answers.
Team & Manufacturer News
Cadillac F1 on Getting Noticed and More
- Continued improvement will get Cadillac noticed – Towriss (RACER)
- Factory Mustang GT3 Effort Satisfies Ford’s IMSA “Need” (Sportscar365)
- How Toyota is helping transform F1’s smallest team (The Race Podcast)
Motorsport Movers & Shakers
Sam Schmidt on Finding Purpose After the Finish Line
Sam Schmidt embraces his curiously contented – seemingly counter-intuitively contented – life at age 61 with gusto. The former open-wheel racer always is game for a defiantly impossible feat, figuring, “What could go wrong? Break my neck? Been there, done that.” Yes, he has. And Sam Schmidt never has done anything halfway.
Read his inspiring story at Autoweek 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.
