Apple Bets Big That Formula 1 is Ready To Rival America’s Major Sports

When Apple purchased the future media rights to Formula 1 for a hefty $140 million a year, the F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, didn’t just forecast growth; he predicted the racing league could become as popular in America as the NFL or NBA. This weekend’s stop in Las Vegas should offer an early indication whether his grandiose ambition is remotely realistic.“Maybe you might think of that as crazy,” Mr. Domenicali said when the deal to take effect in 2026 was announced last month. “But that’s really what should be our target.”There is plenty of skepticism whether F1’s move to a streaming platform from ESPN – a basic cable service that has been its home since 2018 – will raise or diminish its profile in the United States. Money was an obvious lure; F1 will receive much more than the $90 million ESPN paid for the rights this year.But the essential question remains: Can the glitz, glamor and rivalries of Formula 1 hold America’s wandering attention in the streaming jungle and make the deal worth the investment?Apple’s senior vice president, Eddy Cue, insists the upside is enormous. “When you compare it to other sports in the U.S., certainly the biggest sports – which I think F1 is and should be in the U.S. – the growth opportunity is huge,” he said.The weekend’s stop in Las Vegas offers the perfect litmus test – a mix of championship pressure, team tension, public scrutiny, past scandal and the sensory overload of racing through the Las Vegas Strip at night.This is the third Grand Prix in Sin City, but the first where the stakes are this high. Max Verstappen of Red Bull clinched his fourth consecutive driver’s championship by finishing fifth in Las Vegas last year behind race winner George Russell of Mercedes. This year, three drivers come to the desert locked in a fierce battle for the top spot with three races left in the season.Lando Norris leads with 390 points and a 24-point edge over his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Mr. Verstappen sits third with 341 points. Any of them can earn up to 83 points over the remaining races: Winners receive 25 points, and another eight points will go to the winner of a Sprint race on November 29 in Qatar.The 17-turn, 3.853-mile course on the Las Vegas Strip comes to life starting with Thursday’s practice session and ending Saturday with the 50-lap Grand Prix scheduled to start at 8 p.m.Mr. Norris of Great Britain and Mr. Piastri of Australia have led the drivers’ standings throughout the season, helping McLaren to win 14 of 21 races and clinch its second straight constructors’ title. But rumors of McLaren favoring Mr. Norris led to the Briton being booed on the podium in Mexico. Early reports of a rift have quieted since Mr. Norris won the last two races, in Mexico and Brazil, and finished ahead of Mr. Piastri in the last six.“I think we’re both quite good at just letting things die down and leaving things on the track,” said Mr. Piastri, who could take back the overall lead if he wins on Saturday and Mr. Norris fails to score. “Maybe there are short-lived emotions off the track, but I think we’re both quite good at just letting things die down.”Mr. Verstappen, the Las Vegas debut winner in 2023, has been the most dominant driver the last four seasons. He desperately needs a victory on Sunday to keep his five-peat hopes alive.The Dutchman once trailed Mr. Norris by 104 points, but the Red Bull team began its comeback after firing its CEO and longtime team principal, Christian Horner, on July 9.There had been reported tension at Red Bull since Mr. Horner was accused in early 2024 of sending sexually aggressive texts and pictures to a former female employee. With Spice Girl Geri Halliwell standing by her husband’s side, Mr. Horner was cleared by Red Bull.But the accusations hovered over Red Bull Racing and a slow start to this season, in which Mr. Verstappen posted only two wins and five total podiums in the first 14 races, cost Mr. Horner his job. Since Mr. Horner’s ouster, Mr. Verstappen has won twice and has finished seven straight times in the top three.“My mindset is if we don’t have a strong weekend, Max is right back in the game,” McLaren’s CEO, Zak Brown, said. “I’d love to be in a position where we leave this race and I know a papaya [McLaren] car is going to be the driver’s champion.”McLaren has not won the Constructor’s Championship Trophy and had the champion driver in the same year since 1998. But Las Vegas offers haunting memories: Mr. Norris crashed out in 2023 and finished sixth last year. “I think it was our worst race last year,” Mr. Norris said.Las Vegas is not complaining. Though the overall economic impact dropped to $934 million last year from $1.5 billion in 2023, the Las Vegas Grand Prix established itself as the city’s largest recurring event. By comparison, the 2024 Super Bowl, which was played in Las Vegas, had an estimated impact around $1 billion, according to studies by Applied Analysis.F1’s initial three-year deal with Las Vegas has been extended until 2027 and remains the anchor to three races in the United States. The Grand Prix in Austin is contracted through 2034, and Miami through 2041.Formula 1 estimates its fanbase in the United States to be 52 million with 47 percent of those followers ages 18-24 and half being female. Those are coveted demographics that excite Apple and drive its partnership with F1.Saturday’s race will be the last in America under F1’s expiring contract with ESPN, but will also be available on certain streaming platforms such as YouTube and Hulu.Beginning next year, F1’s content will be available to hundreds of millions of iPhone users in the U.S. and highlighted throughout its other Apple networks. Their media deal is an extension of their successful collaboration in “F1: The Movie,” an Apple original film starring Brad Pitt. It already ranks as one of the highest-grossing sports movies of all time.

Apple Bets Big That Formula 1 is Ready To Rival America’s Major Sports

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