Ever since Bullitt (Peter Yates, 1968), which featured Steve McQueen's legendary Mustang chase through the streets of San Francisco, it has become widely accepted that a car chase is essential to any good action film. But have environmental concerns put an end to screeching tires? Quite the opposite: The more cars are banned from city centers, the more roaring race cars take over our screens.

The Formula One pit garages have just delivered Apple its biggest box office success since it began producing films in Hollywood and launched its streaming platform Apple TV+. F1, directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt as a veteran driver, has taken in nearly $300 million in box office revenue since its release on June 27.

So much so that, according to the Financial Times on July 8, the iPhone maker is looking to outbid ESPN, the Disney subsidiary, to secure the rights to broadcast the pinnacle of motorsports in the United States starting in 2026. The price tag is only expected to rise given the anticipated impact of Apple's blockbuster on audience numbers.

1.6 billion viewers

The biggest winner from this surge in attention is, of course, Liberty Media. The group owned by American magnate John Malone acquired Formula One Group, the operator of the Grand Prix races, in 2017 for $4.4 billion. Its masterstroke was convincing Netflix to produce the documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which has aired since 2019 and which delves into the intrigue of the paddocks and the racetrack. Thanks to this huge hit, Formula One television viewership soared from 490 million in 2018 to 1.6 billion in 2024. The sport's growing appeal among women and younger fans has also attracted new sponsors. In October 2024, luxury group LVMH signed a 10-year partnership with Formula One, hailing "a true cultural phenomenon at the crossroads of sport and entertainment."

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