• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 13, 2025

Formula One Team Values Are Surging. How High? That’s Debatable

  • Each of the 10 teams is worth at least $1.3 billion, says McLaren’s CEO.
  • Solid financial performance and enforced scarcity are fueling valuation gains.
Austin American-Statesman

Already boasting one of the fastest-growing sets of franchise valuations in the industry, Formula One is reaching another milestone as every team is worth at least $1.3 billion, or £1 billion, according to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.

Speaking at Bloomberg’s Power Players event in Jeddah ahead of Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Brown credited a surge in American popularity and overall revenues under the leadership of Liberty Media, which purchased the motor-sports circuit in 2017.

“Half the grid is profitable. They weren’t five years ago,” Brown said. 

Brown’s boasts differ somewhat from F1 valuations from last summer by Forbes, which placed the least valuable team, Williams Racing, at $725 million, and four of the 10 teams below that $1.3 billion mark. But even that list had an average team valuation of $1.88 billion, more than triple the comparable $500 million mark from 2019.

Sense Behind the Surge

Liberty’s recent earnings confirmed the underpinning behind the team valuation surge, as F1’s full-year attendance rose 5% in 2023 to 6 million, revenue grew 25% to $3.22 billion, and operating income surged 64% to $392 million. Helping drive those numbers were mushrooming fan interest in the U.S. and successful new events, such as the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which despite heavy upfront infrastructure costs, local unrest still unfolding, and some operational issues, still proved a solid hit both on-site and on television

Even amid a particularly dramatic offseason with several driver- and team-level issues, F1 officials pointed to continued upside surrounding the sport.

“We have a solid financial foundation and an attractive, growing fan base,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in an earnings call with analysts. “Our team is focused on deepening this fandom.”

But there also remains a sharply enforced scarcity to F1, which is no doubt further amplifying team valuations behind the core financial performance. League officials have consistently held off on team expansion and, most recently, rejected a bid from Andretti to become the 11th team in 2025 and ’26. 

“What Liberty is wanting to do is protect the value of the 10 teams that exist,” Brown said. “We’re now in a position where pre-Liberty, you had teams falling away. Now post-Liberty era there are teams lining up to get into the sport. So I think Liberty is just seeing how, when, and if they want teams to enter.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Cobh Ramblers
exclusive

Ireland’s Ramblers Latest Soccer Club to Gain U.S. Owner

The Ramblers play in the League of Ireland First Division.

Featured Today

Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Apr 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; The LIV Golf logo is on display along the 10th hole during the second round of LIV Golf Miami golf tournament at Trump National Doral.

LIV Golf’s New Leadership Reapplies for World Ranking Points

The league’s first attempt was denied in 2023.
Stephen Curry celebrates after sinking the winning putt during the final round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Sunday, July 16, 2023.
July 10, 2025

Golf’s Hottest Celebrity Tournament Keeps Getting More Exclusive

The American Century Championship tees off at Lake Tahoe on Friday.
July 11, 2025

All-Star Game Returns to Atlanta With Big Plans After 2021 Exit

The league’s jewel event is set to be a global showcase for The Battery.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark of the MLBPA
July 10, 2025

MLB, Players’ Union Spar Over Salary Cap As Labor Fight Looms

The MLB Players Association’s No. 2 executive outlines what he sees owners doing.
May 28, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
July 10, 2025

How Does the NBA Salary Cap Work?

The NBA salary cap gives teams a spending limit for their rosters.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell during the NFLPA press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
July 10, 2025

NFLPA Head Has Side Hustle With PE Firm That Can Invest in..

The NFLPA’s executive director is embroiled in multiple controversies.
July 10, 2025

Murphy: Club WC Snags Won’t Derail Biggest Event ‘in Human History’

New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is the concluding site of both FIFA events.