Formula 1 2025 season – a half year review

It was an incredible first half of the season for Formula 1, which kicked off with the first ever season launch event with F1 75 Live at The O2, and the sport hasn't slowed down since.

There has been fantastic wheel-to-wheel racing, which has seen four drivers across three teams take the top step on the podium. We've seen sold out races, record attendance and viewership, a huge continued growth in fandom, the release of the action film of the year - F1® The Movie - and more new partnerships with global brands announced than ever before.

Ahead of the second half of the season starting in Zandvoort this weekend, we're sharing a summary for any season round-up stories you may be writing. If you have any additional questions, please contact the F1 comms team.

F1 75 Live

To celebrate the sport's 75th anniversary and the 2025 season launch, Formula 1 produced an innovative and compelling event, F1 75 Live at the O2, where all ten teams unveiled their livery for the season. The evening provided fans with a fusion of entertainment from global music artists including mgk, Take That, Tems, Kane Brown, and Brian Tyler's Are We Dreaming, as well as the thrill and spectacle of Formula 1 cars, teams and drivers.

Standout statistics from the event include:

• O2 Arena sold out in 20 minutes.
• 16,000 fans in attendance
• 42 of F1's broadcast partners streamed live covering 37 global territories.  
• 7.5m tuned in to the live broadcast on the F1's social media channels, with a peak of 1.2m concurrently watching the event.
• The YouTube livestream was watched in 211 different territories around the world and was the most successful livestream in the YouTube channel's history, with over double the views of the previous best performing stream.
• Sky had 500k peak viewing with average of 430k across the event.  
• F1 75 helped reach new audiences. On TikTok 63% of views were from non-followers (channel average is 46%)

F1® The Movie

Following its launch globally at the end of June, F1® The Movie has performed incredibly strongly at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Apple film to date.

Key statistics following the release of the movie include:

• Since F1® The Movie was released globally at the end of June, box office sales have reached a total of more than $600 million.
• It is the largest grossing sports film of all time (surpassing Cars 2 at $559 million) and is also Brad Pitt's largest grossing film.
• The movie is rated at the highest 'A' CinemaScore, alongside a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been acclaimed as the most authentic racing feature ever made
• During production, over 185 hours of footage was shot across the Grands Prix. 
• More than 2,000 hours of F1 broadcast footage was recorded for the movie.  
• 1,900 members of crew involved in the production of the film, with roughly 400 crew at each race. 
• Grands Prix filmed at:  
  • Silverstone (x2) 
  • Hungary (x2) 
  • Monza 
  • Netherlands,  
  • Las Vegas (x2)  
  • Abu Dhabi (x2) 
  • Japan 
  • Belgium 
  • Mexico 

New York City Premiere

The world premiere of F1® The Movie took place in New York City, taking over the iconic Times Square and attracting huge crowds of fans wanting to get a glimpse of the star-studded event. Across the evening, there were appearances from:

• Hollywood actors from the movie including Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem and Kim Bodnia, as well as Producer of the movie Jerry Bruckheimer, and Director, Joe Kosinski.
• Liberty Media and President Derek Chang, Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, and Apple CEO, Tim Cook.
• Formula 1 drivers including Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda, and Team Principals such as Toto Wolff, Ayao Komatsu, James Vowles, and Fred Vasseur.
• A-list celebrities including Gayle King, Jurnee Smollett, Sunisa Lee, Michael Rainey Jr., Kane Brown, and Chris Stapleton.

European Premiere

A week later, London's Leicester Square hosted the European premiere of the movie, welcoming an array of global artists, actors and athletes walk the red carpet, including:

• Mission Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick actor and Hollywood icon, Tom Cruise, who joined Brad Pitt on the red carpet.
• Stars from the film Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem and Kim Bodnia, as well as Jerry Bruckheimer and Joe Kosinski.
• Senior figures from across F1 including Formula 1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, Aston Martin's Adrian Newey and Andy Cowell, and Williams' James Vowles.
• Award-winning music artists including Ed Sheeran, Tate McRae, RAYE and Will.i.am.
• A-list celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Gareth Bale, Tommy Hilfiger, JJ Lin and Patrick Schwarzenegger.

Race Attendance

Attendance by fans has continued to break records in 2025:

• Season attendance from first 14 races: 3.9 million (this is the biggest combined season attendance ever at this stage in the calendar).
• 11 sold out events of 14
• Six new attendance records.
• Two race weekends with other 400k attendees.
  • Australia (465,000), Great Britain (500,000)
• Four race weekends with attendances of 300k or over.
  • Spain (300,000), Canada (352,000), Austria (300,000), Belgium (389,000)

Social and Digital

Formula 1's long and short form content has reached growing audiences across all social media platforms and fans are continuing to consume highlights from a race weekend after the event, demonstrating the significance and growth in our digital channels, particularly among our younger audience.

• Formula 1's social media following has now reached 107.6m (+21% year-on-year and up from 18.7m in 2018). Below is the increase in growth of each of F1's social media platforms vs the growth last year:
  • YouTube 13,028 +19%TikTok 11,996 +35%Instagram 36,995 +23%Facebook 15,092 +9%
  • X 11,443 +9%
• Viewership for YouTube highlights on F1 channels is up +30%
• The highlights for the Australian Grand Prix gained 13 million views in the first week, the second largest audience after Abu Dhabi 2021 on the channel.
• In the first 16 months of launching on Threads and WhatsApp, we reached 13 million followers across the two channels.
• Fans are spending more time and consuming more content on F1.com and F1 App, with total content views up +17% year-on-year.

TV viewership highlights

TV viewership for the 2025 season has continued to show a strong upward trajectory, with 13 of 14 races showing live viewership growth year-on-year across 15 of F1's key markets (for qualifying and race).

New records across both growth and heritage markets:

• Formula 1 had over 60 million cumulative linear TV viewers for the opening Grand Prix weekend in Australia.
• On ESPN in the US, 12 of the 14 races this season have seen year-over-year viewership growth, with seven setting event viewership records, as well as a 14% increase in its younger demographic between 18-49 in comparison to 2024.
• The Miami Sprint event set a new viewership record since the format was introduced in 2021.

Media Rights extensions and agreements:

• Tencent renewed as the broadcaster for Formula 1 in mainland China.
• Long-term extension with broadcaster in Canada, Bell Media.
• Globo confirmed as the Brazilian broadcaster from 2026.

Growth and Demographic Trends

Our global fanbase continues to grow and is increasingly becoming younger and more diverse:

• Formula 1 has a global fanbase of 827 million and is the world's most popular annual sporting series, with a year-on-year increase of 12% and a 63% increase versus 2018.
• This global fanbase figure positions Formula 1 as the most popular global sport league, with a fanbase 11.4% greater than the second biggest sport (NBA).
• The fanbase continues to get younger, with 43% of the total fan base being under 35 years old and a growth of 51 million in fans under 35 year-on-year.
• 42% of the fanbase is now female, vs 37% in 2018, with a growth of 43m female fans year-on-year.
• The sport continues to see an increase in interest both in heritage markets like the UK (+24%), Italy (+12%), and Brazil (+9%), as well as in growth markets like the US (+11%) and China (+39%).
• We recently shared results from a global fan survey by Motorsport Network. 27% of respondents were under 24, with half of them female. Among new fans, 75% were female. Commercially, 76% believe sponsors enhance the F1 experience, and 1 in 3 are more likely to buy from F1 partners.

Partnerships

Formula 1 holds a prestigious range of partnerships, specialising in a wide variety of sectors and appealing to global markets across the world, including food and drink, entertainment, and fashion and luxury. Since 2020, F1 has more than doubled its partnership going from 12 to 27 in just five years.

The first half of 2025 has seen Formula 1 continue to build on its impressive portfolio of partners, with the arrival of five new global companies such as Disney, PepsiCo, LEGO Group, Barilla as well as LVMH (and its Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer and Moët Hennessy brands), all collaborating with the sport. We continue to innovate how we reach existing fans and engage with new ones, by remaining relevant and in touch 365 days a year.

New Partners

• LVMH became a Global Partner in a 10-year deal. Announced in late 2024, the partnership began at the beginning of 2025. LVMH brands included in the partnership are:
  • TAG Heuer - Official Timekeeper of Formula 1
  • Louis Vuitton - Official Partner of Formula 1
  • Moët Hennessy - Official Partner of Formula 1, with a range of their brands including:
    • Moët & Chandon - Official Champagne of Formula 1
    • Belvedere - Official Vodka Partner of Formula 1
    • Whispering Angel - Official Rosé of Formula 1
    • Glenmorangie - Official Whisky of Formula 1
• Disney's Mickey & Friends is set to partner with Formula 1 in 2026, after announcing a partnership in May.
• At the end of May, PepsiCo was announced as an Official Partner of the sport until 2030 with the deal including the company's iconic brands:
  • Sting Energy - Official Energy Drink of Formula 1
  • Gatorade - Official Partner of F1 Sprint
  • Doritos - Official Savoury Snack Partner of Formula 1.
• At the start of the year, Michelin-starred chef, Gordon Ramsay became a partner of the sport, delivering a world-class culinary experience in F1 Garage across 10 Grands Prix this year.
• Multi-national lottery-led entertainment company, Allwyn, became an Official Partner in a multi-year deal from the start of 2025, including the launch of the F1® Allwyn Global Community Award.
• ALT Sports Data became the Official Betting Data Supplier of Formula 1 at the end of February.
• At this year's Bahrain Grand Prix, F1 announced the world's biggest Pasta producer, Barilla became an Official Partner of the sport.
• In April, PwC signed up as the sport's Official Consulting Partner.

New F1 ACADEMY partnerships

• TAG Heuer was announced as an Official Partner and the series' first ever Official Timekeeper ahead of its opening round in China.
• In March, TeamViewer became an Official Partner.
• More than Equal, became the Official Driver Performance & Research Partner of F1 ACADEMY.
• In June 2025, Wella Company teamed up with F1 ACADEMY as an Official Partner.
• PepsiCo's Gatorade was also announced as an Official Partner of the all-female series in June.

Partner Activations

In the first half of 2025, Formula 1 has delivered a host of memorable activations both on and off the track including:

LVMH partnership launch at the Australian Grand Prix

• The first Grand Prix of the 2025 season in Australia became LVMH's title race and unveiled for the first time the Louis Vuitton Trophy Trunk, The TAG Heuer Official Pit Lane Clock, and the TAG Heuer Monaco watch. The Moët Hennessy jeroboam also joined the podium celebrations for the first time.

LEGO Drivers' Parade

• At the Miami Grand Prix, the Formula 1 Drivers' Parade saw 10 life-sized LEGO F1 cars operated by the drivers on track.
• The creation saw nearly 400,000 LEGO bricks being used for each car, weighing 1,000kg and capable of reaching speeds of 20 km/h.
• The cars were created by a skilled team of 26 designers, engineers, and LEGO builders, over 22,000 hours, in the LEGO Group's Kladno factory, located in the Czech Republic.
• The activation received an incredible reception from media, fans, and drivers - some of the highlight statistics following the Drivers' Parade include:
  • A global reach of 12bn earned total reach.
  • Highest viewed content on TikTok ever.
  • Highest viewed partner content on Instagram all-time.
  • Highest viewed & engaged partner content on Facebook all-time.
  • 2nd highest viewed driver's parade all-time.
  • Most viewed YouTube shorts content of the last year.
  • 5 Highest viewed non-highlights videos of 2025 so far for the US audience.

LEGO British Grand Prix trophies

• At the British Grand Prix, LEGO also produced trophies for the top three drivers and constructor winner to celebrate the sport's 75^th anniversary.
• All four were designed by one LEGO Designer and were built by 7 master builders in the LEGO model shop in Billund, taking over 210 combined building hours to complete.
• 2,717 bricks were used for the winner's trophy, which weighed 2 kilograms.

Barilla Pasta

• At the Bahrain Grand Prix in April, Formula 1 announced Barilla as an Official Partner of the sport, providing an array of media and guests at the Grand Prix the chance to experience the world's biggest Pasta producer, launching the partnership in style.
• Massimo Bottura, chef patron of Modena's Osteria Francescana and the holder of three Michelin stars and a green Michelin star, catered for the event which saw F1 personnel in attendance including Jean Alesi, Gerhard Berger, and Federico Gastaldi.
• Across the race weekend in Bahrain, Barilla signage was on display at the circuit.

Qatar Airways Barbershop

• Qatar Airways and celebrity hair stylist Sheldon Edwards (HD Cutz) partnered for the second time at this year's 2025 British Grand Prix, providing the people of the paddock with free haircuts across the weekend.
• The temporary structure, built in the paddock from Thursday to Sunday, offered F1 personnel an opportunity to get a haircut during their busy schedule.
• Across the British Grand Prix HD Cutz provided over 170 haircuts, which included celebrity guests, such as golfer Ian Poutler and Tottenham Hotspur footballer Dominic Solanke, and members of the F1 Paddock including Formula 1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, Williams' Team Principal James Vowles and Haas driver Oliver Bearman.

Partner renewals

• MSC Cruise extended as a Global Partner until 2030.

Race Renewals

There have been several long-term extensions in 2025 with race locations, with the majority of the calendar now contracted into the 2030s, as well as Miami and Austria contracted into the 2040s.

• The calendar for the 2026 season announced, which includes further improvements to the geographical flow of races, and a new circuit in Madrid, adding to the excitement of next year's new era of regulations.
• Belgian Grand Prix renewed on a multi-year extension which includes Grands Prix in the 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031 seasons.
• Mexico City Grand Prix renewed until 2028.
• The Miami Grand Prix renewed until 2041, making it the longest contracted race on the Formula 1 Calendar, following a 10-year extension.
• Canadian Grand Prix renewed until 2035.
• Austrian Grand Prix renewed on a long-term contract until 2041.

United States

We continue to see robust growth and momentum in the US market supported by the three unique races in the USA.

• Fanbase size in the US has reached 52 million, up +11% year-on-year.
• Across the first fourteen races of the season, live race viewership in US is up +23% vs. 2024 season average.
• The US is largest F1 market for YouTube viewership (135m) and social media followers (5.8m) - social media followers are up in US +26% year-on-year.
• F1TV subscriptions are up +20% year-on-year.

China:

• Return to racing in China contributed to increased visibility and popularity of the sport: over 221m claimed F1 fans, up +39% year-on-year.
• F1 fans in China are young and diverse, with 46% being female, and 40% aged between 16-34.
• Over half of fans in China started following the sport in the last 5 years.
  • +460k social media followers on Chinese platforms (Weibo, WeChat, Toutiao, and Douyin) gained in the first half 2025, bringing the total up to 4.8m.
• A sold-out Chinese GP saw 220k fans attend this year, up +9% vs. 2024.