The Walt Disney Company and Formula 1 have extended their relationship with a new contract that will keep races on ESPN Networks in the U.S. through the 2025 season, it was announced Saturday at the Formula 1 Aramco Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Under the agreement, ABC and ESPN will air at least 16 commercial-free races each season and includes expanded direct-to-consumer rights, giving ESPN flexibility to roll out additional ways for fans to watch over the next three years, including on ESPN+. Detail of that plan will come at a later date.
“Formula 1 and ESPN have been a strong and successful team and we’re delighted to extend our relationship,” Burke Magnus, ESPN President, Programming and Original Content, said. “We look forward to serving fans in some new and innovative ways in the next three years as we continue to bring the reach and relevance of the Walt Disney Company networks and platforms to Formula 1.”
A record was set in 2021 for the most-viewed Formula 1 season in the U.S. with an average of 949,000 viewers per race; the average has since moved into seven figures in 2022, averaging 1.2 million viewers on ESPN networks per race. Earlier this year, the telecast of the Miami Grand Prix on ABC generated an average viewership of 2.6 million, the largest U.S. audience on record for a live F1 race.
All race weekends will continue to include live telecasts of all three practice sessions and qualifying (including the F1 Sprint), as well as pre-race and post-race coverage.
Formula 1 returned to its original U.S. television home in 2018 – the first race ever aired in the country was on ABC in 1962. F1 races also aired on ESPN from 1984-1997.
Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix will air live on ABC with coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The next event in the 2022 F1 season is the Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, Oct. 30. The race will air live on ESPN at 3:55 p.m. ET.
