‘It’s exponential’: Apple bullish on F1’s 'beautiful' future in the U.S.

Formula 1’s American revolution is no longer being discussed as a novelty. Inside Apple, it is increasingly being viewed as a long-term growth story with the potential to explode far beyond its current audience.

As the championship continues its aggressive push into the United States, Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue believes the sport is still only scratching the surface of what it can become across the country’s sporting landscape.

And crucially, Apple is not measuring success by trying to outmuscle the NFL overnight.

‘A lot of room to grow’

Formula 1’s recent momentum in the U.S. has already been substantial. ESPN recorded an average audience of 1.3 million viewers per race in 2025 during the final year of its broadcast agreement, while early figures tied to Apple’s involvement have pointed toward further year-on-year growth.

Yet compared to the NFL’s colossal television dominance, F1 remains a relatively small player. Cue, however, sees that as an opportunity rather than a limitation.

“We are not focused on the NFL,” said the 61-yaer-old Apple executive, quoted by RACER.

“There is the NHL, there is Major League Baseball – there is a lot of stuff to get to the top. My viewpoint around it is there is a huge amount of growth. It's a much younger audience than any sport. Female participation is way up – both young and female on Apple is way up.

“And so I don't know how many millions, but it's exponential. I think that's the beauty. I think it's grown from zero, so it's grown a lot. But it has a lot of room to grow.”

Cue’s confidence appears rooted not only in audience data, but in how Formula 1 is beginning to seep into broader American culture. The sport that once felt niche to U.S. viewers is now increasingly familiar – through streaming, social media, celebrity crossover and entertainment projects.

And according to Cue, Apple witnessed that transformation firsthand during promotional work connected to Formula 1’s upcoming Hollywood movie project.

“I think when people become aware… I still remember when we did the [F1] movie and we used to ask people, 'How many of you have ever seen a race?' and nobody raised their hand,” he added;

“After the movie, you always ask them, 'Would you like to see a race?' and everybody raises their hand. You experience it and you see it.

“I think there is a huge opportunity. It's not a 10 or 20 percent. I think it's a ‘how many times X can we grow it over the years?’”

F1 wants to become part of American life

For Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, Apple’s value stretches well beyond streaming rights or technology partnerships. The bigger ambition is cultural relevance.

“From our perspective, I’ve said before that to be really strong in the U.S., you need to be in the culture of the U.S.,” Domenicali said.

“Culture means you have to be in the daily life of the people. You need to be interesting from all the different topics where Formula 1 is hopefully relevant. That is basically technology-wise – we need to talk about technology, and we have the best platform, the best partner in terms of technology.

“We need to talk about the sport. On that, there is the right way to communicate, not only during the race if we can, but also every day about that, through the deal we have with Apple.”

That philosophy reflects the modern version of Formula 1’s U.S. strategy: less occasional spectacle, more permanent presence.

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Domenicali believes Apple’s ecosystem and reach could help place Formula 1 into conversations that traditionally had little room for motorsport.

“In terms of social engagement, I think that they are the ones that are everywhere, with the right people, with the right dimension and when people are talking about Apple, now we're going to talk about also Formula 1. I think that is a situation where we see that there is a progression,” he explained.

“It's just the beginning of this journey. The fact that we started with the Everest that is the NFL, if we are able in a couple of years to be seen by the NFL, ‘Oh what is happening here?’ it means for us it is incredible too.”

Chasing relevance, not comparison

Despite Formula 1’s rapid rise in America – boosted by races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas – Domenicali knows the NFL remains untouchable territory in terms of cultural dominance.

But the goal, he suggests, is not to replace football in the American psyche. It is to become impossible to ignore.

“There are certain periods of the year where the NFL calendar is there. But to touch an NFL game for the Americans is to touch... I don't know – you understand what I want to say!” he said.

“So how can we be relevant in this moment where the life of the Americans is connected when they wake up to the big screen or when they wake up with a little phone – with that world.

“So we need to understand how we can gain advantage or gain traction in such a complex world. And the only way to be sure that we can do it is through Apple now.”

For a sport that once struggled to gain traction in the United States, those words signal a dramatic shift in ambition. Formula 1 is no longer merely trying to visit America successfully a few times per year.

It is trying to become part of the country’s daily rhythm – and Apple believes the ceiling may be far higher than anyone imagined.