Netflix set to challenge ESPN for broadcast rights, Inside the unusual 2025 launch season, and other big updates

Netflix set to challenge ESPN for broadcast rights

Netflix is now a strong contender to secure the U.S. rights to broadcast Formula 1 starting in 2026. The streaming service has already helped boost F1’s popularity with its Drive to Survive series. ESPN’s current deal has ended, and a new deal is expected to cost more than the $90 million per year it previously paid. With Netflix expanding its live sports coverage, including deals with WWE and the Women’s World Cup, it now looks set to make a move for F1.

Click here to read the full article by Mark Mann-Bryans (motorsport.com)

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Inside the unusual 2025 launch season

The 2025 Formula 1 car launches will be scattered over nearly two weeks, with a mix of in-person events, digital reveals, and a collective livery launch at the O2 Arena in London on February 18. The O2 event will focus on liveries rather than actual 2025 cars, as teams will likely showcase generic show cars while providing media appearances from drivers and team bosses. Williams will reveal its FW47 in a camouflage livery at Silverstone on February 14, while teams like Ferrari and Racing Bulls will conduct shakedowns before the full pre-season test in Bahrain from February 26-28. McLaren has hinted at bold design changes, and the media will likely bring up controversies over FIA’s new penalties and other political issues in the sport.

Click here to read the full article by Edd Straw, Jon Noble & Scott Mitchell-Malm (the-race.com)

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Alpine A110 R Ultime brings F1 expertise to the road

The Alpine A110 R Ultime is the fastest and most powerful version of the A110, with a 0-62 mph time of 3.8 seconds and a Nürburgring lap that is 20 seconds quicker than the standard A110 R. Alpine used its Formula 1 and GT4 racing expertise to improve aerodynamics, suspension, and overall performance, giving the car 345bhp and special Michelin tires. The car is built for high-octane fuel and features a stronger turbocharger, upgraded brakes, and a six-speed automatic gearbox. Only 110 units will be made, with a price of £209,000, and most have already been reserved.

Click here to read the full article by Stuart Milne (whatcar.com)

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Coulthard takes on rivals at 2025 Race of Champions

David Coulthard will race in the 2025 Race of Champions at Sydney’s Accor Stadium against Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher, and other top drivers. The event, set for March 7-8, will have a special 1km asphalt track built for high-speed racing. Coulthard has won this competition twice before, in 2014 and 2018, and hopes to win again. With tickets starting at $49 for children and $69 for adults, the highly anticipated event promises intense racing action in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time.

Click here to read the full article at racecar.com

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No place like Grove

Ferrari’s lengthy introduction of Lewis Hamilton is just one example, but another comes from the man Hamilton replaced at the Scuderia, as Carlos Sainz Jr. finds his way around his new team at Williams. Sainz gets in some simulator work, participates in his seat fitting, and then meets with team members alongside Williams Team Principal James Vowles to talk about why he chose Williams last summer.