A few weeks ago, Apple confirmed its Apple TV streaming service has acquired the rights to broadcast Formula 1 races in the United States. This will begin with the 2026 F1 season and will last for five years. After Apple’s MLS and other sports streaming, I didn’t really think much of this. But Apple recently shared an F1 teaser that made me very excited for a new viewing experience.
- Read more: Apple TV is the new home of F1 in the US
Straight off the bat, we get a look at what the F1 hub inside Apple TV is going to look like. Split-screen driver views, real-time stats, Multiview on devices like the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. It looks sleek, and crucially, it looks useful.
I think the onboard cams are a game changer. Being able to switch between drivers mid-race, follow your favourite, and actually see what they’re seeing is a massive win. This used to be part of F1.TV – but it was an separate stream you had to watch. Now, it’ll be baked right into main broadcast experience on Apple TV.
Apple’s also added Live Activities on iPhone – not exactly mind-blowing, but still a clever add-on. While you’re out, your phone can quietly update you with lap counts, time gaps between the top three, and a full leaderboard. It even lets you jump straight into the race if you can sneak away for a moment.
Apple’s UI has always been about clean lines and an “it just works” attitude. Somehow, that works in this context. Everything shown off in the above teaser makes it look like the tech giant will capture the chaos of a race weekend without cluttering your screen.
If you’re a hardcore fan wanting the F1.TV experience with all the extras, you’re not being pushed out. You can log in with your Apple TV credentials and use F1’s own apps.
The new F1 experience lands in the Apple TV app next year, with the first race weekend kicking off on 6 March. All sessions – practice, qualifying, sprints, and the Grand Prix itself – will be included with a standard Apple TV+ subscription, which currently goes for $12.99/£9.99 a month or $99/£89 a year.
- Related: The Apple TV Pro is due soon: here’s all the latest on the next-gen streamer
