Apple is turning the page on how Americans will watch Formula 1. Starting next March, every F1 practice, qualifying session, sprint and Grand Prix in the U.S. will stream exclusively through Apple TV — and Apple is leaning into the moment with a December movie premiere that might recruit an entirely new audience.
The timeline: movie first, racing next spring
F1 The Movie, the Hollywood spectacle that dominated summer box offices, arrives on Apple TV on December 12, 2025. It’s the kind of splashy release that doubles as a marketing funnel: viewers who enjoy the Brad Pitt-led drama this month will have only a few months to convert that excitement into live-race viewership when Apple’s exclusive U.S. deal kicks off on March 7, 2026 (the Australian Grand Prix weekend).
The arrangement is a five-year partnership that replaces ESPN as the U.S. broadcast partner and folds F1 content into Apple’s services play. Apple has already teased that some preseason content and additional production details will arrive before March, so expect the TV app to go live with more than just a single race feed.
What the app will offer viewers
A new promotional video from Apple gives the first look at the F1 experience inside the TV app. Two features stand out:
- Multiview support: Watch the main race alongside multiple camera angles — including driver onboard feeds — all at once, depending on device compatibility.
- Onboard driver cameras: Live driver perspectives that previously were the preserve of F1.TV subscribers will be available inside Apple’s interface.
- Launch dates: F1 The Movie streams on Apple TV December 12, 2025; live race coverage begins March 7, 2026 in the U.S.
- Cost: Apple TV subscriptions currently run at typical consumer pricing — the listing in many markets is $12.99 per month or an annual plan — and the F1 content is included in that service.
- Devices: Multiview and multiple live streams will depend on device support. Apple TV set-top boxes, iPad and Apple Vision Pro have been mentioned as compatible platforms for Multiview features.
Apple says all F1 content will be included at no extra cost for Apple TV subscribers. That means practice, qualifying, sprint and race coverage are bundled into the existing Apple TV subscription rather than sold as a separate add-on. F1’s own premium streaming product, F1 TV Premium, will continue to exist and — importantly for hardcore fans — Apple subscribers can use their Apple TV credentials to sign into the F1.TV site and apps to access the league’s standalone features.
Who this is designed to reach
This is as much a growth play as it is a rights deal. F1’s U.S. audience swelled in recent years; the sport’s younger, more digitally native fans are an attractive target for a services company that wants to deepen engagement across devices and apps. Apple’s strategy is not to fence F1 off but to weave the sport through its ecosystem: streaming, notifications, music and fitness tie-ins have all been mentioned in coverage of the deal.
That broader-systems approach matches other moves by Apple to make services feel integral to everyday use — from media to personal assistants. (For example, Apple is exploring custom AI models to power next‑gen features across its platform, which speaks to how the company thinks about stitching services together.) See more on Apple’s AI direction in Apple to Use a Custom Google Gemini Model to Power Next‑Gen Siri.
What fans should know now
If you want to watch on an Apple set-top box, the hardware itself remains an option — the Apple TV 4K is widely used for streaming and is available on Amazon.
Production and the fan experience
Apple has promised more details on production and product enhancements in the coming months. The early screenshots and video show a polished interface focused on multiple live perspectives and integrated data streams. For fans who used to subscribe to F1.TV for onboard cameras and telemetry, Apple’s inclusion of those features removes a previous paywall — while still leaving F1.TV as a destination for deeper league-specific content.
There’s also expectation management to do: the exact feature set may vary by device, and long-time F1.TV subscribers will want to confirm how legacy features (on-demand archives, driver stats, certain bespoke feeds) are supported via the Apple sign-in path.
A content-and-subscription play
This rollout is a textbook example of Apple’s services strategy: invest in marquee content, fold it into an existing subscription, and use that content to increase the value of the broader ecosystem. Apple’s big-moment content — whether a blockbuster movie or a live sports calendar — becomes both a subscriber magnet and a reason to keep using the platform.
Apple has previously strengthened other media experiences across its services (podcasts and in-app features), and that pattern is likely to continue as it layers F1 across the TV app and other touchpoints. If you’re curious how Apple has been reshaping its media features recently, take a look at updates to Apple Podcasts in Apple Podcasts in iOS 26.2 Adds Auto‑Generated Chapters, Timed Links and Better Episode Links.
If you’re an F1 fan, a casual viewer nudged in by a movie, or someone who follows streaming business strategy, December and March will be the months to watch. The race weekend experience is getting a new home in the U.S., and Apple wants it to feel like part of a larger, always-on entertainment and services ecosystem.