Apple Newsroom:

Apple and Formula 1® today announced a five-year partnership that will bring all F1 races exclusively to Apple TV in the United States beginning next year. […]

Apple TV will deliver comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix available to Apple TV subscribers. Select races and all practice sessions will also be available for free in the Apple TV app throughout the course of the season. In addition to broadcasting Formula 1 on Apple TV, Apple will amplify the sport across Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+. Apple Sports — the free app for iPhone — will feature live updates for every qualifying, Sprint, and race for each Grand Prix across the season, with real-time leaderboards, season driver and constructor standings, Live Activities to follow on the Lock Screen, and a designated widget for the iPhone Home Screen.

According to emails sent to current Formula 1 TV subscribers, F1 is keeping its “F1 TV Access” (the lowest-tier option—$3.49 a month or $29.99 a year, which does not include any live video streaming) and is phasing out its “F1 TV Pro” package ($10.99 a month) while shifting its highest “F1 TV Premium” tier ($16.99 a month—the “Ultimate F1 Live Immersion” which includes multiview and 4K streaming) to Apple TV:

From January 2026, our new Formula 1 broadcast partner in the US will be Apple TV. Next season F1® TV Premium will continue to be available in the U.S., included with an Apple TV subscription only.

You will still be able to purchase F1® TV Access, which remains available in the US.

Apple TV customers pay $12.99 a month and will now get that $16.99-a-month “Premium” tier as part of their subscription. That’s a hell of a deal. A lot more people might find themselves watching F1 races out of mere curiosity. I’ve never watched a single F1 race (or Drive to Survive or F1 The Movie), but this new partnership may finally get me to check out the hype, seeing as it’s now effectively free for me to do so.

Meanwhile, “F1 TV Pro” subscribers get full access to everything Apple TV has to offer for an extra $2 a month, while “F1 TV Premium” subscribers save $4 a month.

This seems like a massive win for everyone.

Additional information — including production details, product enhancements, and all the ways fans will be able to enjoy F1 content across Apple products and services — will be announced in the coming months.

I assume this will include an immersive Apple Vision Pro experience. An app called Lapz was briefly available and was considered the best way to watch F1 races. The F1 folks put the kibosh on it last year; perhaps one of them will acquire it.

One sour note, from the aforequoted press release:

Apple will amplify the sport across Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+.

Translation: We need to recoup our money somehow, so prepare to see a lot of unwanted F1 content. I can see it now: Your commute will take 45 minutes, but an F1® car would get you there in just ten. Subscribe to Apple TV to experience the thrill of speed.