The United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin, Texas, has become a focal point for Formula 1’s rapid evolution—on and off the track. As engines roar at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), seismic changes are underway in how American fans will experience the sport, with Apple and Formula 1 announcing a groundbreaking five-year exclusive broadcast partnership for the U.S. market. Meanwhile, drivers and teams are navigating the business end of a fiercely competitive season, with championship battles, team upgrades, and personal milestones all taking center stage.
On October 17, 2025, Apple revealed its exclusive deal to broadcast all Formula 1 races in the United States starting in 2026. Apple TV subscribers will gain front-row access to every practice, qualifying, Sprint session, and Grand Prix, with select races and all practice sessions available for free on the Apple TV app. This partnership comes on the heels of the record-breaking success of 'F1 The Movie,' an Apple Original Film that has become the highest-grossing sports movie of all time, raking in over $629 million globally since its summer release. The film, starring Brad Pitt and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Lewis Hamilton, and others, will make its global streaming debut on Apple TV on December 12, 2025.
"We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with Formula 1 and offer Apple TV subscribers in the U.S. front-row access to one of the most exciting and fastest-growing sports on the planet," said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. His enthusiasm was matched by Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali, who commented, "This is an incredibly exciting partnership for Apple and the whole of Formula 1 that will ensure we can continue to maximize our growth potential in the U.S. with the right content and innovative distribution channels."
Apple’s commitment goes beyond race broadcasts. Formula 1 content will be amplified across Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+, while the Apple Sports app for iPhone will deliver live updates, real-time leaderboards, and season standings. F1 TV Premium, the sport’s own premier content service, will remain available in the U.S. through an Apple TV subscription, free for subscribers.
The timing could not be better. Formula 1’s U.S. fanbase surged to 52 million in 2024, with the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey revealing that nearly half of new American fans are aged 18-24 and over half are female. The sport’s momentum is palpable, and the Austin paddock buzzed with both anticipation for the future and reflection on the season’s twists and turns.
In Thursday’s press conference, three drivers—Ollie Bearman (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Franco Colapinto (Alpine)—offered candid insights into their campaigns and the unique pressures of the season’s home stretch. Bearman, relishing Haas’s home race, spoke about the team’s upgrades: "We have an upgrade as well on the car, which hopefully will bring us a bit more performance everywhere." He reflected on his own growth, noting, "Since the summer break, I’ve found a good level of consistency... I’m really happy with how things are going."
Alonso, a stalwart of the grid and currently 11th in the championship, was characteristically blunt about his season: "It will not be a season to be remembered." Yet he remains hopeful for COTA, despite past struggles: "We need to do something different than the last two events here to really score points. At the same time, we come from Singapore being on the fast pace there." The two-time world champion also weighed in on the title fight, suggesting, "The two McLarens have a little bit of an advantage, just because of the points advantage. But Max is an incredible driver, and if there is anyone that can overcome the deficit of the car, it’s him."
Colapinto, meanwhile, described his journey to greater consistency and the team’s ongoing search for pace: "It’s been tricky to drive for me—just really struggling to find the consistency of the car... I’m just starting to find my feet in the last few races after the summer break." He praised the Alpine team’s determination: "Everyone in the team is staying motivated—the engineers, the mechanics—they keep pushing us as if we were scoring points, but we are not at the moment. But it’s good to see the motivation that they all have to keep pushing."
With six races to go, the championship picture is anything but settled. The drivers discussed the shifting dynamics of being the hunter or the hunted as the season nears its climax. Alonso explained, "You approach the weekend taking care of every single detail... Now there is no room for mistakes anymore if you are chasing the leaders." Bearman added, "I hope it goes down to the wire for all three of them and may the best win." Colapinto, pressed for a prediction, demurred: "I guess it’s between the three of them."
The conversation also turned to the modern realities of racing in the social media age. All three drivers expressed unease about the public broadcast of their onboard radio communications, which can be raw and easily misunderstood. Bearman remarked, "With the amount of adrenaline and pressure we’re under in this sport, when you open the radio and want to share your frustration or feelings with your engineer, you’re not thinking about the other people... it should be cracked down a little bit." Colapinto noted the unique distractions F1 drivers face compared to athletes in other sports, while Alonso lamented, "Misunderstood 99.9% of the time because they are private conversations with your engineer or your team... when the radio broadcast is the protagonist of the race, that also is very sad, that the race was so poor in terms of entertainment."
Looking ahead, the drivers are keenly aware of the importance of the remaining races—not just for the current championship, but for building momentum into the transformative 2026 season. Alonso emphasized, "We need to use these six races as a test in a way... to start in January with the batteries fully charged."
As the U.S. Grand Prix unfolds and the sport prepares for a new era of digital engagement, the intersection of technology, entertainment, and pure racing drama is more vivid than ever. With exclusive Apple TV coverage on the horizon and a championship battle set to go down to the wire, American fans are in for a ride that promises to be as thrilling off the track as it is on it.
