The business of F1 The Movie is one of the topics covered in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup and this week you will get an insight into what could be another media hit for F1. I also have the results of the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey, a potential new candidate for FIA president and the dawning of a new era in MotoGP. All this and much more as well!
Motorsport Industry News
Formula 1
Formula 1 and the Motorsport Network have this week released the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey, a recurring study conducted every four years to track how fan engagement is evolving across the sport globally.
Based on more than 100,000 responses from self-identified, highly engaged fans in 186 countries, the findings offer a detailed snapshot of the modern fan mindset, which shows that Formula 1 is increasingly attracting a new, younger and more female audience, with growth in markets such as the US.
Below are a few articles looking at particular aspects of the report’s findings. For more information, click here: https://lnkd.in/eqyFgdr3
- How Gen Z women are powering the next wave of F1 fandom (Autosport)
- Staying Power – F1’s new, young fans are committed for the long haul (Autosport)
- America’s F1 ascent: New fan survey confirms surge in US support for F1 (Motorsport.com)
The British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has welcomed 150 figures working within F1 to an event at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday, in celebration of the championship’s 75 year anniversary. Starmer met with Domenicali, Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang, a handful of past and current drivers and team principals – plus F1 Academy CEO Susie Wolff.
One of the biggest motorsport stories occurring over the last week has not been anything that happened on the track but what occurred in movie theaters around the world with the release of F1 The Movie. While the film has proven to be a hot in its first weekend of release, it is the effect that the film is having both in fan and commercial engagement that has impressed most looking at the film from a business of motorsport standpoint. Here are some great articles looking at the impact of the film.
- ‘F1’ Revs To $144M Opening Weekend Around The World, Brad Pitt & Apple Original Films Records (Deadline)
- ‘F1’ is Apple’s biggest hit with $55M+ opening weekend (AppleInsider)
- F1 movie races to top spot at box office with $140m opening weekend (ESPN)
- How This Hollywood Producer Turned Brad Pitt Into A $40 Million ‘F1’ Ad (Forbes)
- Formula 1 Prepares for a Second Popularity Surge Following “F1” (Formula Flash)
- Can Hollywood boost F1 viewership — and media rights? (CNBC Sport)
- Pitt stop: How Las Vegas helped bring ‘F1 The Movie’ to life (News Gazette)
- Brad Pitt‘s F1 Movie Opens to $55.6M as Liberty Eyes New Rights Pact (Sportico)
- The F1 Movie Threatens to Change the Very Sport It Highlights (The Drive)
Formula 1 has announced a new long-term contract for the Austrian Grand Prix with the Red Bull Ring staying on the calendar until 2041. It means the Austrian circuit joins Miami in being the only tracks with a contract which runs until the 2040s, as the Florida venue recently secured an extension until 2041, too.
Silverstone circuit could stay on the Formula 1 calendar forever with no real rival to host the British Grand Prix, the sport’s chief executive Stefano Domenicali said on Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s race. The Italian told reporters he could not imagine a championship without Britain, home to seven of the 10 teams, but there was also no chance of the country having more than one race.
General Motorsport Industry News
The FIA presidential election is facing uncertainty as potential rivals to Mohammed Ben Sulayem contemplate their candidacies. Carlos Sainz Sr. withdrew his bid due to logistical and personal commitments, leaving the field open. F1 drivers have expressed a desire for greater transparency and dialogue with the FIA, with several hoping for positive changes in the coming years. One person that does look to be throwing his hat into the ring is ex-steward Tim Mayer.
Autosport reports that Mayer, son of former McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer, aims to stand against current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – who fired him as an FIA steward last November.
UPDATE! Meyer has made it official. ““Mohammed Ben Sulayem made promises three and a half years ago that were good ideas – transparency, governance, he even promised he would be a non-executive president. He hasn’t delivered on those ideas. In fact, it has been quite the opposite.”
The European Commission has provided Liberty Media Corporation with unconditional approval to complete the acquisition of the MotoGP World Championship. The process of annexing the top motorcycle competition had begun in the spring of last year, only to experience a physiological slowdown in the fall of 2024, when the Commission initiated the appropriate checks on potential conflicts of interest and monopolistic risks in motorsport. This was a crucial – and final – step in a historic moment, however little publicized: the go-ahead for the passage of 86 percent of Dorna (the media company that holds the MotoGP rights) into the hands of the group that has succeeded in reinventing Formula 1, and is now willing to pay $4.2 billion for the top two-wheel series.
Here are two articles looking at the impact of this decision.
- MotoGP, Liberty’s turn: why the future of motorcycling is played out now (RTR Sports)
- What the MotoGP riders think about green light for Liberty Media takeover (Autosport)
Interest from new manufacturers and tuners in the World Rally Championship’s 2027 technical regulations is growing as work continues to finalize the ruleset’s finer details reports Autosport. “What I can say is two of them are working closely with us on this project. Two are very involved but we are involved in discussions,” said FIA technical director Xavier Mestellen Pinon.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- Why Brad Pitt’s F1 movie was told ‘no’ at Daytona — for the sake of authenticity (The Athletic)
- New Report from Grant Thornton UK and the MIA reveals enormous growth in UK motorsport industry (MIA)
- The hidden value of F1: Lessons in sustainable high performance for leaders – from the pinnacle of motorsports (Hintsa)
- Why Liberty Media Is Betting on Culture, Not Ratings (Business of Speed)
- Newly opened NSW Circuit Italia flags Supercars potential (SpeedCafe)
- Happy F1 Day! Let’s Buy a Team… (Tomorrow’s Fortune)
- Former Ferrari F1 mastermind to take up role in McLaren’s road car arm (Autosport)
- Panama Racetrack Expects Arrival of NASCAR Mexico Series in September 2025 (Newsroom Panama)
- Expensify banking on ‘F1′ movie title deal to boost revenue, build global brand awareness (Sports Business Journal)
- Major motorsports trade show coming back to uptown Charlotte in 2026 (Charlotte Business Journal)
- Lime Rock Park shatters attendance records with NASCAR Craftsman Trucks weekend (RACER)
- How an AI Oliver Bearman could help Haas F1 understand its fans (Autosport)
- SRT is Back: Stellantis Revives Street and Racing Technology Division (MotorTrend)
- Warner Bros Discovery continues Extreme H broadcast partnership (BlackBook Motorsport)
- E1 targets UK£500m valuation by 2030 (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Lime Rock CEO Speaks Out as NASCAR Steps Into Connecticut With Bold Statement (Essentially Sports)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the world’s most sustainable motorsport circuit and, in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup you will find out why. I also have details on natural fibre composites in motorsport, Hansen Motorsport’s sustainability initiatives and the incredible technology behind the Mercedes-AMG GT XX concept.
The Numbers
Motorsport viewership in the U.S. last weekend (via Adam Stern) as well as the latest details:
1) NASCAR Cup (TNT + TruTV): 1.608 million viewers
2) Formula One (ESPN): 1.103 million
3) NHRA (Fox): 674,000
4) NASCAR Trucks (Fox): 616,000
5) NASCAR Xfinity (The CW): 583,000
6) ARCA (FS2): 78,000
- Prime Video audience ‘better than’ NASCAR projected (RACER)
- What the data says about NASCAR’s run on Amazon Prime Video (BlackBook Motorsport)
- NASCAR hits new season low with TNT debut at Atlanta averaging 1.61m viewers (BlackBook Motorsport)
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
Recent moves by Jorge Martin’s camp, the Aprilia management and MotoGP promoters have taken the Spanish rider’s attempt to break away from the Italian manufacturer and join Honda into a new complication.
“The crisis is playing out on two levels. One is more superficial and public, visible through statements made by both sides on and off the track. The other involves lawyers and is much more protected from prying eyes and ears, often bound by confidentiality agreements.”
Here are two articles looking at the current state of the situation.
- Why the conflict between Martin and Aprilia has entered a new dimension (Autosport)
- Dorna boss threatens to deny Martin 2026 MotoGP entry (Autosport)
Formula 1 is set to discuss changes to the current protest system in the wake of Red Bull’s criticised protest against George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix. Toto Wolff said the FIA is considering making it a more significant decision for a team to launch protests, with the current deposit a mere €2000 that is no serious deterrent for teams with nine-figure budgets.
As the popularity of esports, gaming and sim racing has grown, so have associated legal issues, including those related to IP law. Alban Radivojevic in Lexology explains how the newly established International Games and Esports Tribunal (IGET) is expected to assist.
“Launched in 2025, IGET was created to fill a longstanding gap in the esports legal ecosystem. It was established by a consortium of stakeholders, including professional teams, tournament organisers and legal experts to provide a neutral, efficient and expert-led forum for resolving disputes across the international gaming landscape. It offers services including mediation, arbitration and expert determination, with a panel of adjudicators selected for their expertise in gaming, esports law, sports arbitration and IP. Its procedures are designed to be fast, confidential and adaptable to the realities of the industry – recognizing, for example, the need for swift decisions ahead of tournaments or during ongoing competitive seasons.”
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
The latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- Coffee industry company Heartland Food Products Group brewing some success with ECR IndyCar team deal (Sports Business Journal)
- William Byron ignites roaring partnership with All-Pro Auto, revolutionizing NASCAR sponsorship landscape until 2030 (Motociclismo)
- F1 sponsorship driving brand recognition and loyalty (Autosport)
- How Louis Vuitton Took Over Sports (Huddle Up)
- ‘Miami Takeover’ – NEFT Vodka and Racing Bulls (Sport Business)
- Chicago Street Race adds Arby’s as major sponsor for July Fourth NASCAR event (Chicago Tribune)
- Toyota named Foundational Partner of Arlington GP (RACER)
- Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath to adorn Rosenqvist’s No. 60 Honda at Mid-Ohio (RACER)
- The Formula 1 Partnership Network Analysis Report by Spomotion Analytics
- Java House Named Grand Prix of Monterey Title Sponsor (BVM Sports)
- Brand Building: How eBay’s Activation Had Them Off to the Races (Sports Pundit)
- Glenmorangie toasts F1 partnership (SIG)
- Honda branding for Kirkwood at Mid-Ohio (RACER)
- BEYOND a partnership – Dubai real estate brand teams up with Silverstone at F1 British GP (Autosport)
- Open AI backs Alex Palou for Mid-Ohio (RACER)
- Shell technical partnership keeps Nissan Formula E Team’s ambitions on track (Nissan)
- NXT Gen Cup deepens partnership with POYNTING Antennas – with branded race car on the grid (NXT Gen Cup)
- FIA Announces Change in Tire Supplier for 2025 FIA Karting Championships for KZ Categories (EKN)
- Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) and Goodyear Announce Multi-Year Partnership (HSR)
- Dave & Buster’s Partnering with NASCAR Driver Toni Breidinger (SI)
The Business of Running a Race Team
Team & Manufacturer News
A roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- Ginetta’s Road To Le Mans Win Sparks Interest From LMP3 Customers (Daily Sportscar)
- Why Vowles will stay at Williams for the long haul (Adam Cooper)
- Toyota Is Leaving NHRA, But GR Supras Will Remain in Series in 2026 (Autoweek)
- Juncos Hollinger looking to F1 tech alliance (RACER)
- Sauber opens UK technology centre ahead of Audi F1 takeover (Autosport)
- RFK Racing president Newmark leaving organization (RACER)
- Fields of Wheatley: How Sauber’s new leader is demonstrating his expertise (Autosport)
- Nic Minassian: IDEC Sport “On A Mission” For LMP2 Glory & Beyond! (Daily Sportscar)
- America’s ascent: Cadillac builds its F1 dream with inspiration from NASA (Autosport)
- Nine things we’ve learned about Cadillac F1 team’s progress (The Race)
- Cadillac has ‘67% of team in place’ ahead of 2026 F1 debut (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Behind the scenes at Cadillac F1’s UK base (RACER)
- How Cadillac F1 Team Is Ramping Up for 2026 Entry Into Formula 1 (Autoweek)
- Keanu Reeves to star in new Cadillac F1 team documentary (Autosport)
Motorsport Movers & Shakers
Samantha Tan is building more than a motorsports career. As Team Owner of Samantha Tan Racing, she’s creating a brand that’s disrupting an industry and positioning her team as a serious global contender in endurance racing. The CEO Magazine looks at how she is doing it.
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.
