Formula 1 is not slowing down

F1 fans gather this weekend for round 3 of 2026 in Tokyo. Mark Sutton/Getty Images

Somebody wave the red flag, because Formula 1 is making it rain at racetracks around the world. The open-wheel auto racing competition hit $3.9 billion in revenue last year—a 14% jump from 2024, according to its owner, Liberty Media. Much of that success has depended on getting fans out of the house and down to the track. Lights out and away we grow: 2025 was the most-attended F1 season ever, drawing 6.7 million spectators over its 24-race season, which ran from March through December. Per F1: Nineteen events sold out. Eleven races set new attendance records. One race, the British Grand Prix, drew 500,000 fans. Tickets can be expensive, running hundreds of dollars for multiday passes that include the race and other live entertainment. For example, Road House actor (and singer) Post Malone is set to perform at the United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin, Texas, this October. It’s a two-way street Cities and circuits pay F1 millions of dollars in promoter fees for the rights to host races. It’s a steady revenue stream that accounted for about $824 million of F1 earnings in 2025, Sportico reported. For many cities, it’s worth ponying up for a race, since its economic impact can be worth much more. Per CNBC, the Belgian Grand Prix contributes around $250 million to the country’s economy each year, depending on fans’ appetites for beer and waffles. The downsides of being global: The war in Iran forced the cancellation of two Middle Eastern races scheduled for next month in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Losing those two races from the schedule could cost F1 about $200 million in revenue, according to a Guggenheim Partners analyst report cited by Sportico.