NASCAR is looking beyond business as usual as their recent race at an American naval base demonstrates, and this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup has details on what could be next. I also have the latest motorsport legal news, F1’s potential return to India and more.

Overview

Motorsport Industry News

Apple Removes F1 Paywall for Austrian GP in Pursuit of Wider US Audience

Apple is removing its paywall to make the upcoming Formula One Austrian Grand Prix entirely free for US viewers who have an Apple ID and the Apple TV app. This move is part of an ongoing strategy to attract a wider US audience and convert casual fans after acquiring the F1 broadcast rights this season for a reported $150 million per year. While Apple claims its viewership is comparable to F1’s previous era on ESPN, critics argue that moving away from linear cable has limited the sport’s overall exposure.

Three Drivers & One Region: Why Formula 1 Can’t Afford to Ignore Latin America

Mercado Libre, a Latin American e-commerce marketplace, recently ran a campaign that says the quiet part out loud. At first glance, it could look like another playful Formula 1 adjacent advertisement: three drivers, inside a hotel while the rain delays the day outside, and a competitive instinct too restless to sit still. Then the scooters arrive. Checo Pérez, Franco Colapinto, and Gabriel Bortoleto race along the corridors, creating their own Grand Prix. It is funny, light, and almost absurd.

The Paddock Journal explains.

F1’s interest in India Return Growing: CEO Stefano Domenicali

Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali of Formula 1 said India was a priority market and signalled renewed intent to revive the Indian Grand Prix more than a decade after it last featured on the calendar.

The renewed interest springs from Adani Group’s acquisition of Jaiprakash Associates, which was earlier part of Jaypee Group, through an NCLT-approved insolvency resolution process that includes the Buddh International Circuit, built at a reported cost of $400 million.

More details can be found here and here.

MotoGP’s Own ‘Concorde Agreement’ is Finally Official

After more than a year of negotiations, MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (SEG) and the championship’s five manufacturers announced last Friday their long-awaited ‘Concorde Agreement’.

“Today is a defining moment for MotoGP,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP SEG, in a joint statement alongside the other executives from the respective brands. “The commitment of the five manufacturers not only highlights the strength of the championship but also the shared ambition driving its future. The focus is firmly on what lies ahead: expanding our global reach, evolving the sport, and connecting with new audiences worldwide.”

Vital Step Made Towards USA’s WRC Return

Rally US believes it has “made great strides” towards bringing the World Rally Championship to the USA in 2027 following the completion of a productive candidate event.

“The completion of the Rally US candidate event marks an important first step towards the FIA World Rally Championship’s return to the United States. With the candidate event now complete, our focus turns to detailing our reports and sharing our learnings with the local organisers,” said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

NASCAR Using its Imagination with Street Races

After their race at a naval base in Coronado last weekend, NASCAR is thinking way outside the oval for future race locations, with street races being considered on iconic locations like the Golden Gate Bridge and in places like South Beach (Miami), Denver and Seattle, COO Ben Kennedy tells Sports Business Journal’s Tom Friend.

“The possibilities are really as far as your imagination goes until someone tells you ‘no.’ We’ve talked about Central Park before. Central Park would be epic. … I mean there’s just so many iconic areas around the country and I think if you think about it with a wide-open lens, really anything is possible, like I said, until you get shot down and said ‘no’ to.”

Here are a few articles that looked at the race last weekend and its implication for NASCAR’s future.

FIA Overhauls Governance Process

The FIA’s Extraordinary General Assemblies in Macau has voted to remove term limits for its bodies, including the FIA presidency, in a move seen as president Mohammed Ben Sulayem continuing to consolidate his power.

In his recent LinkedIn post, Robert Reid explains why this is problematic.

What Do the New Hypercar Regulations Mean for the Future of Sports Car Racing?

There’s now an increased sense of urgency by sports car race teams to plan for the medium- to long-term of their programs. This is because at Le Mans the ACO, FIA and IMSA have finally set the direction for the incoming 2030 Hypercar regulations in public. Sure, it wasn’t the unveiling of a full published set of technical regulations, but it was the first major step towards securing the future of sportscar racing’s top class.

But current and future manufacturers involved in top-class prototype competition in either or both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have largely praised the 2030 regulations framework that was recently announced.

Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week

Luxury in F1 and More

Formula 1: when sport meets luxury (Slipstream Effect)
How Cannes Lions became part of F1’s commercial calendar (Sector)
Building a stronger future for FIA Championships with updated regulations approved by the World Motor Sport Council (FIA)
Superbike World Championship ditches Phillip Island for The Bend (SpeedCafe)
BYD Sees Formula 1 as Next Global Branding Move (Mexico Business News)
Do Charters Help Motorsports… or Suppress It? (Will Marotti)
McLaren’s fastest growth channel is 60 years old (The Drum)
WRC surpasses 10M social followers (WRC)
Motorsport UK hosts Business Secretary, The Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP (Motorsport UK)
Sainz reveals the impact of his Netflix gamble (The Race)

Could MADRING become home to Formula 1’s most iconic corner? (NKrush)
Susan Wade: Three Key Topics NHRA Might Use to Grow Drag Racing Fan Base (Competition Plus)
The 24 Hours of Le Mans: The Race that Makes You Ask, “Is This Even Possible?” (Paddock Journal)
Eddie Jordan: The Dealer (Business of Speed)
Charles Leclerc explains why business ventures are helping his F1 career (Motorsport.com)
FIA announces Rally2 car upgrade kit to increase competition for WRC 2027 (Autosport)
Revolution Race Cars expands global dealer network with Garage Sport Labs in Florida (Revolution)
The challenge ahead of F1’s future engineering hopefuls (Autosport)
Bill Gibson, Zytek and Gibson Technology co-founder, dies at 78 (RACER)
MotoGP to stage first immersive London watch party at the UK’s most visited attraction (MotoGP)
Prodrive And British Motorsports Marshals Club Celebrate “British Racing Orange” With New Three-Year Partnership (Prodrive)

Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup

Hydrogen Motorsport Hits the Track at Le Mans

Hydrogen motorsport hit the track at this year’s edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and I have the details (plus video) on this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. I also have details on Formula E’s Gen4 calendar, sustainability in GT3 and more.

The Numbers This Week

IndyCar’s XPEL Grand Prix At Road America Gets A Big Rating On FOX

Forbes reports that IndyCar’s partnership with FOX is yielding significant viewership gains, highlighted by the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America. The race drew 1.8 million viewers, marking the best non-Indy 500 audience since 2011 and a remarkable 131 percent increase over last year’s Road America event. This surge, peaking at nearly 3 million viewers with a World Cup lead-in, underscores the success of broadcasting the full season on network television. Overall, IndyCar on FOX/FS1 averages 2.03 million viewers across 10 races, up 14 percent year-over-year, achieving its best season start since 2008. Executives credit FOX’s commitment and the sport’s competitive action for this sustained momentum.

Motorsport Law Roundup

What Happens Next as Appeal Against Gasly’s Monaco Podium Decision Goes to Court

McLaren and Red Bull are currently awaiting a date for their International Court of Appeal hearing after they took issue with the Monaco Grand Prix stewards reinstating Pierre Gasly’s Formula 1 podium. Autosport explains what happens next.

From Simulator to Stopwatch: The Creative Evidence Teams Have Used to Dispute F1 Race Results

Formula 1 teams have the power to appeal penalties imposed by the stewards over a race weekend. But to do so, they must present new evidence that hasn’t yet been seen before by F1’s law enforcement.

As a result, teams have investigated every avenue of the series to uncover new, creative and clever evidence that they believe could help them attempt to overturn a racing result.

Autosport explains how the simulator plays its part in the process.

The Laws (of Physics) in Formula 1: Was Mercedes’ Banned Compression Ratio Trick Illegal?

Anirban Aly Mandal dives into the Mercedes F1 engine compression ratio controversy from a legal and regulatory perspective. Read his full analysis here.

Spire Motorsports Files Counterclaim Against Joe Gibbs Racing

Spire Motorsports has filed a countersuit against Joe Gibbs Racing while continuing to strongly deny that it has cheated its way to success via information stolen from the Gibbs organization.

“Spire has no interest in, and no need for, JGR’s purported trade secrets or confidential information,” the countersuit reiterates. Additionally, “as of the date this Answer was filed, JGR has not produced any of the trade secrets or confidential information it contends Spire misappropriated. As of the date this Answer was filed, JGR has not identified any evidence showing that Gabehart transmitted JGR’s purported trade secrets or confidential information to other Spire employees.”

The Future of Sport: Risk, Insurance & Law Conference

LawInSport has announced that the ‘The Future of Sport: Risk, insurance & Law’ conference, will be hosted in London on 10th September 2026. The conference will provide a day of panel discussions and presentations followed by a networking evening. Is also provides a professional forum to meet and develop meaningful relationships with colleagues working in the sector. The conference is co-hosted with Miller Insurance.

Full details can be found here

From Track to Trademark: Intellectual Property in the Sporting World

In the latest podcast episode from Bird & Bird, Brianna Quinn (Partner Australia, Bird & Bird) sits down with Rebecca Currey, a Bird & Bird IP Partner in Australia, and Gabriella Bornstein, the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at Motorsport Australia, to dive into the fascinating intersection of IP and Sport. This conversation was inspired by the recent 2026 World IP Day celebrations which focused upon the role and power of intellectual property in sports with the theme “Ready, Set, Innovate”. Tune in to hear their insights on a variety of concepts including trademarks, branding, technological developments, and the impact of AI.

Click here to listen.

Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis

Mourning a Sponsorship Pioneer

Remembering Guy Edwards, the driver who transformed F1 sponsorship (The Race)
Partnering with Salesforce to Supercharge Engagement (Racing Bulls)
Salesforce adds Racing Bulls to its growing F1 paddock portfolio (Sector)
Why Do Sponsors Change Teams – Strategy, Risk & Reward (RTR Sports Marketing)
Fever and Secret Media Network have become official partners of the F4 Spanish Championship (F4 Spanish Championship)
telMAX Announces Multi-Year Partnership with Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham (Ontario Honda Dealer’s Indy)
Dunlop named Goodwood Revival partner (SIG)

NASCAR and The Rolling Stones announce collaboration (RACER)
It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll, But NASCAR And The Rolling Stones Like It (Forbes)
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia announces ARbox as title partner (Porsche Carrera Cup Asia)
MotoGP appoints CAA Sports as exclusive global sponsorship agency (MotoGP)
Lola Yamaha ABT announces partnership with TAKASAGO, LTD. in multi-season deal (Lola)
SAMF signs strategic partnership agreement with Brandship for Saudi National Championships 2026 (Arab News)

Team & Manufacturer News

Cadillac Aims Big

Cadillac sets ambitious F1 aim with ‘big’ upgrades haul (Motorsport Week)
How the Cadillac F1 team is racing to define its brand and fan strategy (Ad Age)
Has Cadillac Just Built Formula 1’s Ultimate Motorhome? (Paddock Journal)
Honda clarifies F1 future after early Aston Martin struggles (Planet F1)
Red Bull imposes stricter personnel restrictions following Zak Brown FIA concerns (TJ13)
Audi aims to ‘bring Formula 1 to the people’ with first-year team, sponsors (Sports Business Journal)
SP Motorsports’ Move into Super Trofeo a “Natural Progression” (Sportscar365)
YRB Racing acquires van der Steur Racing entry ahead of Six Hours of the Glen (RACER)

Motorsport Movers & Shakers

Rahel Frey’s New Le Mans: Watching a Racer Become a Leader

From pioneering racer to Sporting Director, Rahel Frey experienced her first 24 Hours of Le Mans in her new role from the Team WRT pit wall, bringing the same determination and leadership that defined her driving career. Racers Behind the Helmet caught up with the Swiss, reflecting on her adaptation to the new exciting chapter in senior management.

“You always need to be on standby”, she continued, explaining how different the experience had been, compared to competing as a driver. “Basically, you always need to give the team an immediate answer when they have questions.”

Read the full profile here.

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.