Formula 1 Revenue Hits $1.115 Billion in Q3
Liberty Media's third-quarter 2026 Formula 1 revenue rose $246 million from the same period in 2025.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Motorsports
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Liberty Media reported $1.115 billion in Formula 1 revenue for the third quarter of 2026, up $246 million from $869 million a year earlier. Forecasts put annual Formula 1 revenue on course to surpass $4 billion for the first time.
Why it matters
The growth comes partly from one additional event in the quarter, while a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix moved to Sepang in Malaysia and Middle East races face cancellation risk. Those factors could shape whether annual revenue meets the $4 billion forecast.
Liberty Media's Formula 1 revenue reached $1.115 billion in the third quarter, while team payments rose to $422 million from $341 million a year earlier. Total 2026 prize money payments have reached $1.51 billion, and the outcome of the Middle East race calendar is still unresolved.
The players
Liberty Media
Liberty Media is the American media company that owns and commercially operates the Formula 1 championship and reports its revenue.
The details
Revenue dropped $462 million in the second quarter compared with 2025, but the third-quarter rebound lifted nine-month revenue to $2.496 billion, roughly level with $2.498 billion a year earlier. The rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix was relocated to Sepang, and every 2026 race has sold out.
Timeline
Q2 2026: Revenue fell $462 million compared with the prior year.
Q3 2026 (three months to end of September): Record $1.115 billion in Formula 1 revenue reported.
Final quarter of 2026: Revenue from the rescheduled Sepang Bahrain Grand Prix will be reported.
2027: Season kicks off in Milan with F1 Live and ten Sprint races.
Season Trajectory
The 2026 projection of more than $4 billion would exceed Liberty Media's 2025 full-year Formula 1 revenue of $3.87 billion. If Middle East races are replaced by Imola, the season would instead land near the 2025 figure, leaving the outcome dependent on the race calendar.
Fans of the rescheduled Sepang Bahrain Grand Prix and the Middle East races should watch for calendar changes that could affect race-day plans. The 2026 events have all sold out, so ticket access depends on which races proceed.
The takeaway
Formula 1's revenue depends heavily on which races stay on the calendar, so schedule changes can move financial results as much as ticket sales do. Watch the final-quarter report to see how the Sepang relocation and any Middle East cancellations affect the year.
What happens next
The rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix revenue will be reported in the final quarter of 2026, and the 2027 season opens in Milan.
Further reading
For more on the racing calendar behind these figures, see Motorsports.
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