The America Takeover of Formula 1

America was ready. The racing world was vaguely aware of America’s growing involvement in F1. From a single race, Austin, Texas, that was barely hanging on, to suddenly three Grands Prix – Austin, now thriving; Miami, now the premiere party race; Las Vegas, now the showpiece of the sport, usurping Monaco. Yet, still, the old guard did not understand. Europe’s coolest sport, one of the continent’s oldest, Formula 1, was about to be taken over by America.

America! Of IndyCar. Worse, NASCAR!

They had only themselves to blame.

Netflix, with its groundbreaking Drive to Survive series, brought F1 to the masses. At the same time, F1, always under financial pressure, turned to America for big sponsorship money. More importantly, for big sponsorship money with access to critical technology. Technology for where the sport was headed. That included Oracle (Red Bull) cloud, offering simulations. Amazon (cloud) offering logistic support. Android, Google, and then, Apple. Having lost a king’s ransom on little watched but critically acclaimed television programming, and in a vain effort to lock in consumers to Apple screens, Apple saw an opportunity to make good on all that sunk cash: Formula One.

Apple swooped in, bought the streaming rights to Formula 1 and began aggressively promoting the sport to its billion plus users around the world and, most importantly, to its hundred million plus American users.

And still the waves kept coming.

Red Bull, desperate to break free from other engine manufacturers, teamed with Ford to build their own power unit. Cadillac, seeking to lure Chinese and European new-rich, took the risk and dropped over a billion dollars to launch its own F1 team. And there was Haas, the perpetually underfunded partly-American team that Gene Haas bought on the cheap when the sport was still niche.

A giant, 3D billboard in New York’s Times Square, like a World War 2 victory banner, announced the start of the F1 2026 season. To be streamed by Apple.

The war wasn’t over, not yet. But this was clearly the final days of Europe’s chokehold over the sport.

Apple, Google, Amazon, Oracle, Meta, countless Silicon Valley crypto and AI start-ups, plus Disney – Disney! – plus American snack food brands, my goodness, swarmed the sport, stormed the paddock, and seized control.

And it’s never been bigger.

This is the new Formula 1.