A recent study finds that one in four US adults follow F1 closely and in this week’s edition of the Business of Motorsport Roundup, I have the details. I also have updates on potential F1 races in Thailand and South Africa, the impact of Motorsport Valley and much more.
Motorsport Industry News
Formula 1
BlackBook Motorsport reports that one-quarter of US adults now follow Formula One somewhat closely, according to a study from CivicScience. “Formula One is particularly popular with fans between the ages of 18 and 29. Some 45 per cent of this age range – commonly known as Gen Z – are reported to follow the series at least ‘somewhat closely’.”
If the news above made you think that F1 could not possibly get any more popular, the upcoming Formula 1 movie – simply titled ‘F1’ – aims to make the sport even bigger on a global scale, but particularly in the United States, according to producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “The audience in America, out of 20 people [before a screening], one person raised their hand and said they’re aware of F1. At the end of the screening, everybody raised their hand [wanting to watch a race].”
The Mercedes Formula One team recorded a profit of UK£120.3 million (US$164 million) in their recently released accounts for the year that ended 31st December 2024. This represents a jump of 43.5 per cent on last year’s profit of UK£83.8 million (US$104.6 million). Overall, revenue jumped 16 per cent to UK£636 million (US$866.2 million). You can read the full report here.
Budapest will host the 40th edition of the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix from 1-3 August 2025 and to mark the occasion, the Hungaroring has undergone a striking transformation over the past 12 months. “The goal was to replace the outdated infrastructure with a modern, efficiently operated pit building that meets all professional requirements of motorsport,” Gyulay told motorsportol.hu.
Alex Albon is working with his home government on a project to bring Formula 1 to Bangkok and has revealed some of the details behind the plans for a Thailand Grand Prix. “It all looks really promising,” said Albon, who is hopeful of a home grand prix becoming part of the Formula 1 calendar in the near future.”
South Africa is pushing for an F1 return, but any kind of deal is far from complete reports Filip Cleeren in Autosport. If a Grand Prix does return to South Africa, CarMag has renderings of what it would look like after the Kyalami renovations are complete.
General Motorsport Industry News
A new report of the impact of Motorsport Valley has been published, showing increased growth over the past decade reports Autosport Business. The Motorsport Industry Association review, conducted by Grant Thornton, highlights the global importance of Motorsport Valley – the area in the United Kingdom where seven of the 10 teams competing in the 2025 Formula 1 world championship are based.
“The report showed that in 2023, UK motorsport and engineering companies had a sales turnover of £16billion, up £7billion from the previous report in 2012 – 89% of companies generate a portion of their revenue from exporting goods and services, with the USA the main importer.”
The European Commission has given the green light for Liberty Media to acquire MotoGP promoter Dorna more than a year after the deal was first announced. Jon Noble, Simon Patterson and Valentin Khorounzhiy from The Race explain what Liberty needs to do for MotoGP.
Last weekend, the 24 Hours of Le Mans returned, not just as a motorsport spectacle, but as one of the most commercially valuable platforms in global racing. Drive Sports Marketing explains the business of Le Mans.
Carlos Sainz Sr has announced he will not run against Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the FIA presidency. Ben Hunt from Autosport explains what his withdrawal means for the FIA leadership contest.
Formula E has confirmed “unprecedented audience growth” across TV and social media for the first half of the 2024-25 season, based on data analysis from Kantar Media (TV) and Emplifi (social), with its cumulative audience due to surpass 500 million by the end of Season 11.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- Apple Releases F1 Racing Movie in Theaters on June 27 in Big-Screen Push (Bloomberg)
- Inside Hollywood’s $200 Million Bet on Formula 1 (Huddle Up)
- Apple’s F1 Movie Drops Today: Everything’s Riding on It (Business of Speed)
- To make ‘F1: The Movie’ real, Brad Pitt had to learn to race – from real racers (The Athletic)
- F1 Academy’s Netflix debut opens doors, but struggles to tell the series’ full story (The Athletic)
- Toto Wolff to headline Autosport Business Exchange: New York (Autosport)
- Soft sell: vintage F1 memorabilia goes on sale at Selfridges (Autosport)
- Christian Horner: F1’s pantomime villain reveals how the ‘Piranha Club’ has evolved (Planet F1)
- Sunday Group Management retained by FIA World Endurance Championship (Sunday Group Management)
- Ben Sulayem strenghtens FIA-Japan alliance to drive motorsport growth (Arabian Business)
- Australian Racing Group ‘Race’ events unlikely to return (SpeedCafe)
- Adelaide assets go to auction amid VAILO liquidation (SpeedCafe)
- WEC Hints 42-Car Grid Possible Amid Manufacturer Influx (Sportscar365)
- Doonan: IMSA Committed to Long-Term Convergence (Sportscar365)
- 4 Unexpected High-Stakes Lessons from the Track (Kris Wright)
- Della Penna Hosted 34 Girls in Indianapolis May 16-18, 2025 (PR)
- West Series race at Sonoma to be shown on the NASCAR Channel in partnership with FloRacing (ARCA)
- IndyCar will not return to Thermal Club in 2026, track owner says (KESQ)
- The “motorsport mindset” behind Britain’s success in Formula One (Economist)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Why Ford races EVs in events such as Pikes Peak is one of the topics in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. As I missed last week, this week’s edition is jam-packed. I also have details on the various non-ICE cars that competed at Pikes Peak, how motorsport helps Michelin become more sustainable and using sustainable fuel to power a race series that has been in existence since 1967. All this plus much more!
The Numbers
Here are the latest motorsport viewership numbers.
- IndyCar’s TV audience dips at Road America (RACER)
- IndyCar Road America TV Rating Drops Below 1 Million But Continue Overall Gains (Forbes)
- NASCAR closes Prime Video run at Pocono with 1.9m viewers (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Amazon NASCAR Ratings Down 17%, but Skew Younger (Front Office Sports)
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
This week it is once again all about the 23XI Racing/Front Row vs NASCAR lawsuit. Here are the latest developments.
- All you need to know in the 23XI Racing/Front Row vs NASCAR lawsuit so far (RACER)
- NASCAR‘s Countersuit Against 23XI, Front Row Motorsports Advances (Sportico)
- NASCAR antitrust lawsuit: Judge orders 12 teams to disclose some financial records (The Athletic)
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
The latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- Inside the race for brand visibility in F1 sponsorship (BlackBook Motorsport)
- MotoGP returns to crypto with Bitget regional deal (Sport Business)
- M4Markets Accelerates LATAM Expansion with Alpine Endurance Team Appearance at FIA São Paulo Race (Manila Times)
- EnerSys Renews ODYSSEY Battery Sponsorship with Off-road Racing Champion Jim Marsden (Insider Media)
- Goodwood Festival of Speed Announces ThinkingitBetter as Title Partner (Goodwood)
- McLAREN Racing and SEGA announce partnership with Sonic the Hedgehog (McLaren)
- Logitech G and McLaren Racing Sign New, Expanded Multi-Year Partnership (PR)
- Young’s Motorsports, Anthony Alfredo and Brand South Africa Bring International Spotlight to Atlanta (Speedway Digest)
- All-Pro Auto Reconditioning becomes primary sponsor of NASCAR points leader William Byron (Hendrick Motorsport)
- How crypto is rewriting its sports sponsorship playbook (Sports Pro)
The Business of Running a Race Team
Team & Manufacturer News
A roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- How Ferrari Displaced Toyota as Le Mans Benchmark (Sportscar365+)
- Hyundai Motor’s high-performance brand “Hyundai N” has succeeded in completing the “ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring” for 10 consecutive years (Maeil)
- How Wheatley has given Sauber a welcome confidence boost (Adam Cooper F1)
- JDC-Miller Evaluating Asian Hypercar Program With Porsche (Spportscar365)
- GTA Boss Bandoh Opens Up on GT500 Garage 56 Dream (Sportscar365)
- Skip Barber Racing returns to NASCAR Trucks with Lambros at Lime Rock (RACER)
- Grosjean: Lamborghini SC63 Close to “100% Maximization” (Sportscar365)
- Mics Out podcast: The end of Alpine’s F1 interests? (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Highlands Motorsports Announces Strategic Alliance with Rette Jones Racing and Port City Racecars (Racing America)
- T.J. Puchyr agrees to buy Rick Ware Racing with plans to build a 3-car NASCAR team (AP)
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.
