Apple TV to air F1 races in the US for the next 5 years. This is interesting: “Select races and all practice sessions will also be available for free in the Apple TV app.”
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This is interesting. ESPN has been the carrier for a number of years, and F1 has been the only major racing series in the US to air without commercials. I'm guessing ESPN let it go because it wasn't profitable without ads, so I really wonder whether apple will continue this. European broadcasters, of course, don't interrupt live racing with ads.
I will be shocked if apple is able to grow the F1 audience in the US.
I actually subscribe to F1TV in order to watch all of the sessions for each grand prix. Even though it means one less subscription for me next year, I'm still bummed about F1TV going away. It's actually a really good product. I watched qualifying on someone's YouTube TV account last weekend and found the addition of advertisements to be such a bummer. I'm trying to be optomistic about Apple.
I also subscribe to F1TV and I’m happy to pay for it. I’m really worried about it changing, whether it’s the inclusion of ads or lame American announcers who try to football-ify the broadcast, or some other horror I’ve yet to imagine. Fingers-crossed it stays the same but I just pay less money. Somehow I doubt it.
Fortunately F1TV is sticking around for now, you just subscribe via Apple, which is a relief because it is best-in-class when it comes to live-streamed media. Their archives are really excellent, too. Anyone interested in the history of F1 would do well to check out their “story of the season” episodes for each race — a 10-20 minute mini-doc that covers the highlights of all sessions. It also has a great segment where the pole sitter narrates a replay of their quali lap, which is really fun.
Frankly, F1 stinks. It glorifies everything that is detestable about the macho cult of the all-powerful automobile. Internal combustion engines with no future, outrageous fuel consumption, unbearable noise, intrusive sponsors... Plus it is boring. Is it really a sport? The future of F1 if any lies in electric vehicules driven by AI...
F1 is an engineering competition above all else. They've been running 1.6 liter electric hybrid engines since 2014. The 2026 engine regulations further extend the importance/reliance of the electric side of the motor.
It's 100% a sport. The physical demands are grueling. Drivers are subjected up to 5G forces taking corners for nearly 2 hours straight while having to make split second decisions at over 200 mph.
Driving with AI is a nonsense statement. That's not racing.
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