F1: The Movie delivered roughly $630 million at the global box office, became the most successful theatrical release in Apple Studios’ history and earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
Its opening weekend in the US, north of $55 million, showed that Formula 1 could command mainstream attention well beyond existing fans of the sport.
From 2026, Apple becomes the exclusive US broadcast and streaming home of F1 under a five-year deal widely reported to be worth around $750 million.
That combination – a Hollywood-scale success tied to the same company about to show the sport live every weekend – is what makes two words spoken on an Apple stage far more interesting than they first appeared.
When F1 President and Chief Executive Officer Stefano Domenicali was asked about the future of the film at Apple’s recent TV press event, the reply was deliberately brief.
“Stay tuned.”
Two words that, on the surface, offered nothing. No confirmation. No commitment. No detail. But in the context of Apple’s rights era about to begin, they read very differently.
Domenicali made clear that any continuation would have to match the standard the first film set.
“We’re going to tell you something more in the future. Never say never,” he added.
“But we need to digest more the success of this movie because it was something unique. And if you want to think of a new one, it has to be really, very, very good.
“Therefore, if this will happen, it will not be for next year. But maybe next year we’re going to be here, and hopefully we have something more to announce.”
Domenicali was joined on stage by Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, who offered his own perspective on whether a sequel could be in the offing.
“It’s my favourite question of all,” he said.
“It’s kind of a boomerang because both of us will answer: Is there going to be another Formula 1 movie given the success and how great the first movie was.
“I’ve got a great announcement for it. We’ve got 24 F1 movies this year on Apple TV. I don’t know the ending, and so it is the best unscripted drama that there could be in the world.”
Before Apple secured the US rights, a sequel would have been a film studio decision.
We’ve got 24 F1 movies this year on Apple TV. I don’t know the ending, and so it is the best unscripted drama that there could be in the world.
Eddy Cue
After the rights deal, it becomes a strategic decision about how to maximise the value of live sports coverage.
Apple now controls the film that introduced millions of new viewers to Formula 1. It controls the platform that will host that film.
It controls the live broadcasts those viewers can move into. And it controls the ecosystem that can connect those experiences seamlessly.
A sequel, in that context, becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a marketing engine for the live product that does not feel like marketing at all.
That is why “stay tuned” matters. It was not a throwaway line about a movie.
It was a subtle acknowledgement that Apple and F1 now have the pieces in place to turn the sport into a year-round entertainment property in the US, experienced on track, on screen and across Apple’s entire platform.
