Inside F1’s New Five-Year Deal With Apple — and What It Means for the Future of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’

For many Americans, Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” was their introduction to Formula 1 when it debuted in 2019. That only grew this year with Apple’s “F1: The Movie,” the Brad Pitt-led feature film that raked in $629 million worldwide.

So when it came time for F1 to choose a new streaming partner — their deal with ESPN comes to an end at the end of 2025 after eight years — they had serious conversations with both Netflix and Apple TV.

“[Netflix] wanted to explore a few options, but we felt that it wasn’t quite right,” Ian Holmes, F1’s director of media rights and content creation, told Variety at the Grand Prix in Austin.

Since Netflix has been leaning heavily into events. With only 24 races a year, a much lower number compared to some other American sports like the NBA or MLB, some of the ideas didn’t work for…