Sometimes all the rumors come true – Apple and Formula 1 have announced a new five-year partnership that will make Apple TV the exclusive home of all F1 races in the US, starting in 2026.
As if Apple didn’t do enough this week after rebranding Apple TV+ as Apple TV and then launching three devices all with the brand new M5 chip, it’s off to the races today with some news that will push us all full throttle into the weekend.
And it’s big news too – and a big step for the Cupertino-based tech giant in strengthening its streaming offerings. Apple TV is already home to Friday Night Baseball, MLS Season Pass for Major League Soccer games worldwide and countless original movies and TV series, so F1 joins a growing list.
Here’s the real kicker – no additional subscription is required beyond subscribing to Apple TV. And if you prefer to use F1 TV Premium, you’ll need to sign in with an Apple TV subscription to stream the races there. Also, this is US only.
Not to mention, the arrival of F1 races next year is a quick follow up on F1 the moviewhich grossed over $629 million in its theatrical run and is coming to Apple TV on December 12, 2025. Besides just bringing fans of Brad Pitt, it can also build more fans ahead of real F1 races hitting the platform.
Like Apple’s approach to the MLS Season Pass, it won’t just offer every F1 race to Apple TV subscribers. It will be every practice, qualifying, sprint sessions and Grands Prix throughout the F1 season and I suspect we will see original broadcast programs and documentaries.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, is both excited and optimistic – “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Formula 1 and offer Apple TV subscribers in the US front row access to one of the most exciting and fastest growing sports on the planet.”
“2026 marks a transformative new era for Formula 1, from new teams to new rules and cars with the best drivers in the world, and we look forward to delivering premium and innovative fan-first coverage to our customers in a way that only Apple can.”
That likely means we’ll see some wild footage, including different camera arrays, and just as Apple shot part of the F1 movie with an iPhone camera sensor, we could see Apple TV deploy the iPhone 17 Pro on the F1 track for live stream. Apple did it just a few weeks ago with Friday Night Baseball.
Similarly, Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s president and CEO, hinted at a compelling streaming experience: “We have a shared vision to bring this great sport to our fans in the United States and attract new fans through live broadcasts, engaging content and a year-round approach to keep them hooked. I want to thank Tim Cook, Eddy Apple Cue for all their vision and passion partnership and deliver this vision and passion partner. we look forward to the next five years together.”
It seems that Apple, as well as Formula 1, hopes to rise to the level of F1, and it may be in the same way as how the tech giant has produced Major League Soccer – nice graphics throughout the matches, clean results presented, a wide range of broadcast programs, free documentaries and easy streaming of all matches without blackout dates. While MLS is global, Apple will stream Formula 1 only to the US for at least the next five years.
Apple will also leverage its other apps and services to bring the best of F1. You can already track your favorite teams, drivers and races via Apple Sports, but the release also mentions deeper ties to Apple Music and Apple News.
However, this should be a pretty big step in Apple’s expansion of its streaming offerings, and I hope it brings with it the many lessons learned from MLS, Friday Night Baseball, and other Apple TV content. In terms of viewership, it will likely bring F1 to new audiences and new audiences to the Apple TV platform.
I also hope we see some experimentation with how the broadcast is recorded, perhaps with an iPhone like Friday Night Baseball and with Apple Immersive compatible cameras to produce more live events for Vision Pro.
Neither Apple nor Formula One are ready to share details about the broadcast or production just yet, but it’s likely we’ll get it in the coming months as we approach the 2026 season.
Until then, we wait for Tim Cook and Co. says “It’s light out and we’re going!” and to see if Apple TV and Formula 1 create lightning on the track next year.
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