For decades the United States was Formula 1’s great missing market. In 2026 it has become its most dynamic one: three Grands Prix on the calendar, an American team on the grid, an American manufacturer as Red Bull’s engine partner, TV rights now with Apple and a list of American sponsors that grows every season. Here is how Formula 1 won over America, and what it means for anyone who wants to sponsor it.

Updated September 2026.

In short: in 2026 Formula 1 races in the United States in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, fields Cadillac as its eleventh team for the first time and is broadcast exclusively by Apple under a five-year deal. According to Nielsen, there were 52 million American fans in 2024, up 10.5%. American companies linked to the teams include Oracle and Ford with Red Bull, Mastercard and Google with McLaren, HP and IBM with Ferrari, and Microsoft and PepsiCo with Mercedes. For a brand, American or European, the United States is now one of the main reasons to invest in Formula 1.

A love that came late

The United States has a long history in racing, but for a long time racing, for Americans, meant above all NASCAR, IndyCar and drag racing. Formula 1 had American champions, Phil Hill in 1961 and Mario Andretti in 1978, and raced in many cities, from Watkins Glen to Long Beach, from Detroit to Phoenix and Indianapolis. Yet it had never managed to put down lasting roots.

The turning point came with Liberty Media, the American group that took over the championship in 2017, and with a strategy built on the language of American entertainment. The first big tool was Drive to Survive on Netflix: according to Nielsen, more than 360,000 American viewers started following the 2022 races after watching the series, and a Morning Consult poll from March 2022 found that 53% of American fans considered the series one of the reasons for their interest.

Three Grands Prix and record crowds

Today Formula 1 races three times in the United States, more than in any other country:

• Miami, on the calendar since 2022, welcomed 275,480 spectators over the 2025 weekend and has a contract extended until 2041;
• Austin, at the Circuit of the Americas since 2012, sold out in 2025 with an estimated crowd of more than 400,000, and also hosts MotoGP;
• Las Vegas, a night race on the Strip since 2023, sold out in 2025 with more than 300,000 spectators.

In 2026 Miami was held in early May, while Austin is scheduled for 23 to 25 October and Las Vegas for 19 to 21 November.

Television: from ESPN to Apple

The TV numbers tell the same story of growth. ESPN, which broadcast Formula 1 in the United States until 2025, ended its final season with an average of 1.3 million viewers per race, an all-time record, compared with 554,000 in 2018. Since 2026 the rights have belonged exclusively to Apple for five years, with F1 TV Premium included in the Apple TV subscription. The value was not disclosed; according to press reports it is around 150 million dollars a year. We covered it in our article on the deal between Apple and Formula 1.

Apple’s first year is still hard to judge: Apple speaks of strongly growing audiences without releasing figures, while independent estimates from Samba TV point to fewer households reached but longer viewing times. The comparison is also complicated by the fact that in 2025 some races, such as Miami, were shown free-to-air on ABC.

The phenomenon has also moved beyond sports TV: “F1”, the Brad Pitt film released in 2025, grossed more than 634 million dollars worldwide, including almost 190 million in North America.

Cadillac, the American team

On 7 March 2025 Cadillac received final approval to join Formula 1 from 2026 as the eleventh team, backed by TWG Motorsports and General Motors. It uses Ferrari power units while waiting for the GM engine planned from 2029, and has chosen two experienced drivers, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas. Its partners include TWG AI, 3M, Claro, Core Scientific, IFS, Jim Beam, Tenneco and Tommy Hilfiger, but not yet a title sponsor: in September 2025, according to Sports Business Journal, the team was asking for between 55 and 70 million dollars a year for five years, and at the end of 2025 it said it was in no hurry to find one.

On the sporting side the debut has been an uphill climb: after the Spanish Grand Prix in September the team was still on zero points. Commercially, however, an American team on the grid is a powerful argument for US companies that want to enter the championship.

American companies in Formula 1 teams

The presence of American companies in the teams has multiplied. Some of the most important deals in 2026:

• Oracle: Red Bull’s title sponsor since 2022, renewed with a multi-year deal in February 2026;
• Ford: technical partner of Red Bull Powertrains from 2026 until at least 2030, for both Red Bull teams;
• Mastercard: since 2026 it has given its name to the team, now called McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team;
• Google: McLaren partner, with the Gemini brand replacing Chrome after the November 2025 renewal;
• HP: Ferrari’s title sponsor since 2024, under the name Scuderia Ferrari HP;
• IBM: Ferrari partner since 2025 for fan engagement and data analysis;
• Microsoft: with Mercedes since 2026, after moving from Alpine;
• PepsiCo: Mercedes global partner since 2026, with Gatorade, Sting and Doritos;
• Coinbase with Aston Martin and Kraken with Williams, two American cryptocurrency exchanges.

Some have also left: MoneyGram, Haas’s title sponsor from 2023 to 2025, has made way for Toyota, and since 2026 the team has been called TGR Haas F1 Team. At championship level, Formula 1’s partners include AWS, PepsiCo and Salesforce as global partners, American Express and Paramount+ as official partners, FanDuel as betting operator, and McDonald’s and T-Mobile as regional partners.

Why the United States matters for non-American brands too

Formula 1’s American audience is not only bigger: it is different. According to figures released with the announcement of the Apple deal, 47% of new American fans are aged between 18 and 24 and more than half are women. It is a young, digital audience that interests brands from every sector and every country.

For a European company that wants to grow in the United States, Formula 1 therefore offers a double advantage: a global platform, with 827 million fans worldwide in 2025, and three events in the American market, each with hospitality, events and activation opportunities. American growth now also involves bikes: MotoGP is preparing its own expansion in the United States after 2027.

How to sponsor Formula 1

Since 1995 RTR Sports Marketing has helped brands and companies use motorsport, from Formula 1 to MotoGP, to reach their customers with tailor-made partnerships. As an independent agency we have relationships with every team on the grid and can propose the package best suited to your brand, your market and your goals, with a realistic estimate of the cost of a Formula 1 sponsorship.

The process always starts with understanding your brand and your goals, continues with a strategy and a proposal with several options, and goes all the way to negotiating and activating the partnership. You will find all the information on our page on Formula 1 sponsorship, or you can contact us.

Sources: BlackBook Motorsport, F1 fans according to Nielsen; Nielsen, the Drive to Survive effect; Morning Consult, American fans and Netflix; AutoRacing1, Miami 2025 attendance; BlackBook Motorsport, Miami until 2041; BlackBook Motorsport, the 2025 season in numbers; Formula 1, the 2026 calendar; ESPN, the 2025 viewership record; Apple, F1 rights in the United States; Variety, the value of the Apple deal; Box Office Mojo, “F1” box office; Formula 1, Cadillac’s approval; ESPN, Cadillac’s drivers; Motorsport.com, Jim Beam and Cadillac; Cadillac F1, partners; BlackBook Motorsport, Cadillac’s title sponsor search; BlackBook Motorsport, Cadillac and the title sponsor at the end of 2025; BlackBook Motorsport, the GM engine; GP Destinations, the best-attended races of 2025; The Hollywood Reporter, Apple’s audiences according to Eddy Cue; The Spokesman-Review, Samba TV estimates; Red Bull Racing, Oracle’s renewal; McLaren, Mastercard naming partner; HP, Scuderia Ferrari HP; PepsiCo, the Mercedes partnership; SportsPro, Haas after MoneyGram; Formula 1, championship partners.