Watching F1 in 2026: Will Apple Get US Sports Streaming Right This Time?

F1’s broadcast in the US has a new home

From 2026, F1 race coverage in the United States will move from ESPN to exclusively Apple TV, with direct subscriptions to F1’s proprietary F1 TV Premium and F1 TV Pro being phased out. Instead, US fans will be able to watch F1 Free Practice and Qualifying sessions, as well as all six Sprints and 24 Grands Prix across next year’s race calendar via an Apple TV subscription. 

The announcement of a five-year deal with the streaming service was made during the 2025 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. This is in conjunction with recent efforts to increase the sport’s American audiences, and comes hand in hand with the expansion of the grid to include the American team, Cadillac.

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Learning from MLS mistakes

Yet F1 is not the only sport with a home on Apple TV. Since 2023, Apple has had global streaming rights to all Major League Soccer games as part of a 10-year deal between the corporation and the league. The agreement brings North American soccer action to fans in over 100 countries across the world via a subscription service known as the MLS Season Pass. 

Of note, during the past three seasons of streaming MLS games, Apple has been faced with many lessons that might be shaping the way it will bring F1 to US motorsport fans.

One lesson that stands out is accessibility. A common criticism of the platform is that the barrier of access to MLS games is simply too high, due to a high price point and limited viewing options.

The MLS Season Pass is priced at $14.99/month or $99.00/year for non-Apple TV subscribers. Discounts are available for those with an Apple TV subscription, but come with the additional price of Apple TV itself, which costs $12.99/month or $99.00/year. What’s more, throughout 2023 and 2024, the Season Pass was only available via Apple, making access to the league practical to only the diehard fans, and locking out casual and potential new audiences across the world. 

This year, Apple has made several moves to remedy this and improve accessibility to MLS matches. In January, they announced that the MLS Season Pass will be available via two additional platforms–Xfinity and DirecTV. And in February they launched Sunday Night Soccer, a primetime MLS broadcast showing a select soccer match to all Apple TV subscribers even without an MLS Season Pass. And most recently, they have announced that all 2025 MLS playoff matches will follow suit.

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These lessons in accessibility are already evident in Apple’s early approach to F1.

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How is Apple TV F1 access different? And will F1 TV still be available in the US?

Unlike with MLS, it appears that Apple TV subscribers will have direct access to F1 TV Premium content–which presently includes live 4K coverage, custom multi-feed views, and access to live on-board cameras and radios and more–without the need for additional fees or subscriptions. This will lower the barrier to entry for newer and more casual motorsport fans.

Apple is also going even one step further with F1 and bypassing the need for any sort of fee when it comes to watching Friday and Saturday Free Practices as well as some races throughout the season. US viewers will just need access to the Apple TV app to watch these sessions. Of note, how many races will be broadcast in the US, and which races exactly they will be, has not yet been revealed.

What’s more, F1 TV Access, a pared down version of F1 TV Premium, will still be separately available in the US, in contrast to the initial implementation of the MLS Season Pass, which could only be accessed via Apple services.

Further information on how American F1 fans will be able to enjoy race content in 2026 will become available over the coming months, but if F1 is truly set on increasing its US market and taking lessons from MLS to heart, providing low-barrier options such as free sessions and no additional costs for existing and keeping streaming alternatives available will be crucial in achieving that.

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