Formula 1 in the United States is an ESPN property and has been since 2018. The current rights deal was extended in 2022 through the 2025 season, and a further extension through 2027 was confirmed in early 2025. The broadcast structure is straightforward: every race weekend airs on either the ESPN or ABC linear network, with ESPN+ as the streaming companion.
The 2025-26 broadcaster map
ESPN carries the practice sessions, qualifying, and most races on the ESPN linear cable channel. The race window typically runs Sunday morning ET for European races, with the broadcast picked up roughly 30 minutes before the formation lap.
ABC simulcasts six to eight races per season on the over-the-air linear network — typically the highest-profile events including Monaco, Silverstone, Spa, the US Grand Prix in Austin, the Miami Grand Prix, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Saturday qualifying for these races stays on ESPN; only the Sunday race simulcasts to ABC.
ESPN+ at $11.99 monthly carries the streaming version of every session — practice, qualifying, sprint races, and the main race. The Disney Bundle path at $14.99 monthly delivers the same ESPN+ access alongside Disney+ and Hulu.
F1 TV Pro at $11.99 monthly is Formula 1’s official direct-to-fan streaming service, available in the US since 2022. F1 TV Pro carries every session live, every race archive going back two decades, all the on-board cameras for every driver in real time, and the live timing dashboard. For the obsessive fan who wants the multi-camera experience, F1 TV Pro is the definitive subscription. The base tier F1 TV Access at $2.79 monthly is documentary content only and does not include live races.
What the subscription stack looks like in 2025-26
For a casual fan who only wants the Sunday race, the ABC simulcast schedule covers six to eight races per year for free over the air. ESPN+ at $11.99 monthly covers the full season including the European races that do not simulcast to ABC.
For a serious fan who watches practice and qualifying, ESPN+ alone is sufficient at $11.99 monthly. Adding F1 TV Pro at another $11.99 monthly gives the multi-camera and on-board feeds that ESPN does not carry — relevant for the audience that wants to follow a specific driver through the race rather than the main feed director’s cut.
For the cheapest annual viewing of every session, an ESPN+ subscription held from the Australian Grand Prix in March through the Abu Dhabi finale in December covers the full season for roughly $120.
The 2025-26 calendar
The 2025-26 season is the second under the 24-race calendar that includes three sprint weekends. The American races are Miami (May), Austin (October) and Las Vegas (November), with the Las Vegas race running in a Saturday-night ET slot that is unusual for an F1 race. Each of the three US races has historically been an ABC simulcast and the 2026 schedule continues that pattern.
The Monaco Grand Prix, Silverstone and Spa each typically simulcast to ABC as the high-profile European events of the year.
How the US broadcast compares with the global package
Outside the US, F1 broadcast rights live with different national broadcasters: Sky Sports F1 in the UK, Canal+ in France, Sky Italia in Italy, ORF in Austria. The race start times for European races are early morning in the US (typically 9:00 ET for a Sunday afternoon European race), which has shaped the ABC simulcast schedule — the high-profile European races air during the late-morning US window, while smaller events stay on the ESPN cable channel.
For broader context on the US sports broadcasting landscape, see the broadcaster directory on this site.