Thursday, September 24, 2026
  • -
    days
  • -
    hours
  • -
    minutes
  • -
    seconds
Exclusive
Deals

Dolphins Owner Nearing Deal to Sell 20% Stake in Miami F1 Race

Talks with private equity firm Otro Capital are advanced, sources tell FOS.

Formula One F1 - Miami Grand Prix - Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, United States - May 3, 2026 Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli in action during the race
REUTERS/Marco Bello

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is in advanced talks to sell a 20% stake in Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix to private equity firm Otro Capital, Front Office Sports has learned.

No deal is finalized, a source familiar with the matter tells FOS. Two sources say the potential buyer is Otro Capital, and three sources say the discussions are for a 20% stake in the race. Ross has no plans to sell the entire race, one source says. 

The Miami Grand Prix is part of Ross Sports & Entertainment, an entity that was formed in August to hold the Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Open (Ross acquired a roughly 45% stake in the tennis tournament last year), and the Precision Drive Club, a private, invite-only driving club located at Hard Rock Stadium. 

The current deal talks involve only the Miami Grand Prix, not the Dolphins or any other assets held within Ross Sports & Entertainment, sources tell FOS. It was not clear what a deal might value the race at.

In December, Otro Capital agreed to invest in a new corporate entity being formed by the University of Utah to manage revenue-generating athletic operations. That agreement was finalized in June. Otro’s portfolio also includes a stake in the Alpine Racing Formula One Team.

A representative for Ross Sports & Entertainment declined to comment, and a representative for Otro Capital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ross, 86, has been chairman and owner of the Miami Grand Prix since 2021. The race has seen five consecutive sellouts, and it has grown from a single Sunday race to a weeklong event that takes place across Miami and South Florida.

The founder and non-executive chairman of real estate firm Related Companies, Ross acquired majority control of the Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium in 2009 through a $1 billion deal. Ross has a net worth of about $21.5 billion, according to Forbes.

In late 2024, he sold 13% of the Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Miami Grand Prix in a deal valuing the assets at about $8.1 billion. Under that deal, Ares Management acquired 10% of those assets, and Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai acquired 3%. The Ares deal was approved in December 2024. It was one of three private-equity minority investments in NFL teams that represented the first such deals to be green-lit after the league implemented a policy allowing limited PE investment in August of that year.

In 2024, Ross reportedly rejected an offer valuing all of his sports assets at $10 billion. The Dolphins currently have an estimated valuation of $10.4 billion, according to Forbes. Last March, Chinese American technology entrepreneur Lin Bin, cofounder of consumer electronics giant Xiaomi, reportedly purchased a 1% stake in Ross Sports & Entertainment at a $12.5 billion valuation. 

The discussions with Otro come as the 2026 F1 season is more than halfway over. This year’s Miami Grand Prix was held in May. It was won by Kimi Antonelli, who sits in first place overall and drives for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team.

The schedule for next year was recently announced. It will open in the Middle East and include a record-tying 24 races. The 2027 season opener will be held March 12–14 in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia will host the second GP the following week. The Miami Grand Prix will be the sixth race of next season, held April 30 to May 2.

The league has been owned by Liberty Media since 2016, when it bought Formula One from a group led by CVC Capital Partners. There have been rumors over the past few years that F1 could go on the market.

Formula One has experienced significant growth in recent years. Revenue rose from $3.2 billion in 2023 to $3.9 billion in 2025. In the first half of 2026, it posted revenue of about $1.38 billion, which is down 15% from the same period last year, although Liberty Media said the decline was due in part to three fewer races.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for the
Asset Class Newsletter

Get the latest in sports finance, investment, and transaction activity, straight to your inbox once a week.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

First at FOS

NFL Has No Plan to Follow MLB, NBA in Loosening PE Rules

MLB quietly increased its PE limits this summer.
Exclusive

How House Republicans Could Make or Break College Sports Bill

The Protect College Sports Act faces potential opposition from many House Republicans.
Exclusive

Linda Cohn Brings Podcast to Bleav

Cohn’s podcast has reached 36,000 subscribers in just over two months.
Exclusive

Dae’Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris Can Play in UFL This Spring

The pair have been blocked from college football and the NFL.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

9/24/26 – NFL Ratings Rebound, Dart’s Season Over, Haliburton Flies Southwest

0:00

Featured Today

Hot & Social/Mets

Sports Teams Are Playing a New Role: Matchmaker

The latest promotion at the stadium? Love.
Exclusive
September 18, 2026

Vicious Infighting Is Jeopardizing the Future of Women’s Baseball

The WPBL’s own CEO admits there’s a “power struggle.”
September 17, 2026

Fantasy Football Drafts Are Turning Into Full-Blown Vacations

Leagues are forgoing solo drafts and replacing them with in-person getaways.
Oct 4, 2025; Tempe, AZ, USA; General action during the first period of the game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mullett Arena
September 10, 2026

How Military-Style Workouts in College Sports Get Dangerous

For elite athletes, high-intensity training can be “very appealing.”
September 6, 2026

Is Carolyn Tisch Blodgett the Future Face of Giants Ownership?

Amid changes at top of Giants ownership, eyes are on Tisch Blodgett.
Drew Weatherford

Former FSU QB Drew Weatherford Says PE Can Fix Youth Sports

Weatherford tells FOS what’s ailing the youth sports industrial complex.
Ndamukong Suh
September 16, 2026

Ndamukong Suh: ‘I Don’t Necessarily Agree’ With PE in Youth Sports

“They’re always gonna be looking for those returns.”
Exclusive
September 16, 2026

LeBron James Polymarket Deal Worth $15 Million a Year

James is not an investor in Polymarket, just an endorser.
Sponsored

How Ryan Smith Is Building the Future of Sports in Utah

Utah Jazz and Mammoth owner talks from tech to team ownership.
Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links GC stretches his left leg next to Tom Kim during warms up before match against the Los Angeles Golf Club who won the TGL finals at SoFi Center on March 24, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Exclusive
September 10, 2026

New Funding Doubles TGL Parent Company Valuation to $1B

TMRW is the parent company of indoor golf leagues TGL and WTGL.
Aug 25, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; General overall view of Seattle Seahawks logo at CenturyLink Field during a NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Exclusive
September 4, 2026

Mark Stevens Is Seahawks’ Top Minority Investor

Other investors joined the Seahawks’ new ownership from the Mittal-Grousbeck group.
September 3, 2026

Meet the Seahawks’ New Minority Owners

There are multiple PE, VC, and AI investors.
Feb 5, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view a Wilson NBA basketball and logo during the game between the Mavericks and the Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Exclusive
September 3, 2026

‘Deal Terms on the Table’: Inside the NBA’s Prediction-Market Talks

Multiple prediction-market partners are expected in time for this season.