F1 shrugs off 2026 critics with $617m revenue surge

F1 2026 revenue has surged to its strongest opening quarter performance in history following the publication of Liberty Media’s Q1 report.

Formula One Management’s revenue hit $617 million in the three months to April, a 53 per cent increase year on year and a result that stands in contrast to a turbulent start to the season.

F1 revenue surges despite 2026 regulation drama

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The financial performance of Formula One Management is a reflection of efforts to stabilise the business with longer term agreements in key revenue streams.

F1’s finances are largely insulated from its on-track performance, with revenue derived from race promotion fees, broadcast agreements, sponsorship, and corporate hospitality (among one of several smaller streams).

With many of those medium-to-long term agreements, FOM’s financial foundation is resilient – doubly so as the early-season events were financially locked in before the impact of the F1 2026 rules became evident.

New regulations have proved divisive with fans and drivers alike condemning the style of racing that has resulted, highlighted by jarring overtakes due to the energy deployment.

During April, changes were voted through by the teams and FOM, together with the FIA, with a view to addressing some of the unintended and unnatural elements of racing created by the F1 2026 regulations.

That saw changes to how the battery can be deployed and harvested, with changes also made on safety grounds.

“We had a thrilling start to the season, both on and off the track, with increased overtaking and a highly competitive early season,” said Domenicali as part of Liberty Media’s report.

“We continue to see positive momentum across our business, including a strong start to our partnership with Apple in the U.S., a renewed multi-year agreement with our long-standing partner, Sky and the addition of new commercial relationships, including those with Standard Chartered and Marsh.

“We remain focused on continuing to evolve the sport – including strengthening how we connect with fans globally and working with the FIA and teams to make the racing product even better.

“Together, we are committed to delivering competitive racing and continuing our industry leading growth.”

More on F1’s finances

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Standard Chartered joined F1 as a sponsor at the start of the year and is reportedly worth just shy of $70 million annually – $17.5 million when pro-rated for the three months to the end of March.

Of the $617 million, teams were entitled to $184 million in prize money, a $70 million increase on their share over the same period a year ago.

While not explicitly stated, PlanetF1.com has calculated sponsorship revenue at around $130 million for the quarter, while the biggest earner is believed to be media rights, which covers broadcast agreements, worth over $190 million.

Earlier this week, a new agreement was reached with Sky that will see the broadcaster maintain rights in the UK and Ireland, and Italy until 2034 and 2032 respectively.

It’s been reported the UK deal is worth $1.36 billion over its five-year period from 2029, equating to approximately $270 million per season, up from $175 million under its current deal.

An estimated $165 million was generated through race promotion fees, with Australia and Japan contributing around $48 million, China $68 million.

Neither Bahrain nor Saudi Arabia were scheduled to fall into the first quarter, meaning the impact of their cancellations will not be felt until the second quarter.

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