![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/netflix-f1-6c.jpg\")
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It\u2019s almost time for the green flag.<\/p>\n
After lengthy rumors, last October<\/a> Apple announced it had bought the U.S. rights to the Formula One racing circuit. Next week, the races begin, and Apple has now detailed the viewing experience for the season.<\/p>\n First, the basics: Every Apple TV subscriber has access to all the video feeds from live races, practices, and qualifying. There\u2019s no separate package to buy, and all the video will be available within the TV app on all of Apple\u2019s platforms as well as many other smart TVs and connected devices.<\/p>\n According to Apple SVP of Services Eddy Cue, race video will be in 4K HDR with 5.1 audio. Cue said that like Apple\u2019s other sports broadcasts, the video will be less compressed than content from other services, one reason Apple\u2019s stuff tends to look better than the competition.<\/p>\n The TV app supports Multiview, which allows for the display of up to four video feeds at one time. To make it easier on users who might be uncomfortable building a custom Multiview layout, the app will be able to build different combinations of multiview with just one click\u2014for example, if you click the Red Bull multiview option, you\u2019ll get a large view of the race feed with smaller onboard views from the two Red Bull cars. (You can also set up custom Multiviews and even edit the ones created by the presets.)<\/p>\n Every session will be presented in both English and Spanish audio, and Apple is using the F1 TV feed as its primary feed\u2014but also offering the very popular Sky Sports video feed as an option, and either feed can be used with Multiview. There are 30 extra feeds, including a race tracker; driver data; \u201cpodium channels\u201d that show the video of whichever cars are in first, second, and third place; and all 22 driver cameras.<\/p>\n Users of Apple\u2019s Vision Pro won\u2019t get a 3D race map (yet\u2014though that would be amazing, wouldn\u2019t it?), but they can add a fifth camera view to the multiview for an even more immersive experience.<\/p>\n According to Cue, Apple was inspired to become a Formula One broadcaster after working with the circuit on \u201cF1: The Movie.\u201d \u201cWhat it really did is it let our teams work together for years, and what I discovered is we shared the same vision, in the sense of being innovative and focused on providing the best fan experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most surprising announcement on Thursday was that Apple and Netflix, which have had a rather stand-offish relationship when it comes to video programming, have struck a deal to swap some Formula One-related content<\/a>. Formula One\u2019s growing popularity in the United States is due, perhaps in large part, to the high-profile success of the Netflix docuseries \u201cDrive to Survive.\u201d The latest season of that series, debuting Friday, will premiere simultaneously on both Netflix and Apple TV. Presumably, in exchange for that non-exclusive, Apple will also non-exclusively allow Netflix to broadcast the Canadian Grand Prix in May. (Insert obligatory wish that Apple and Netflix would bury the hatchet and enable Watch Now support in the TV app for Netflix content.)<\/p>\n Netflix isn\u2019t Apple\u2019s only F1 content partner. The company said it would be providing free streamer Tubi with \u201cexclusive alt-casts for multiple races.\u201d An alt-cast is an alternative version of the main broadcast, like the Manning Brothers doing a sort of live podcast during a Monday Night Football game or Nickelodeon\u2019s animated take on live NFL broadcasts. It\u2019s unclear what the Tubi alt-cast will actually be, but I love the idea of Apple embracing the alt-cast concept\u2014and using it to find a different audience with a partner.<\/p>\n Since Apple\u2019s rights are limited to the U.S., I assume most of these partnerships will involve races that take place during waking hours, since many races do tend to start in the middle of the night over here. On that note, Apple did emphasize that it\u2019s working hard not to spoil the results of races in the TV app, since many American fans will watch on a time-delayed basis.<\/p>\n Other partners Apple announced Thursday were IMAX (select World Championship races will be shown on IMAX screens in the U.S., again presumably ones taking place during waking hours), Comcast, Everpass, Prime Video, and DirecTV. Some of those may just offer resold versions of Apple TV, and others (like Everpass and DirecTV) will make races available to commercial establishments like bars and restaurants.<\/p>\n On Thursday, both parties pitched their relationship as not being between Apple TV and Formula One, but between Apple and Formula One. Following last year\u2019s Monaco maps<\/a> tied to the Grand Prix, Apple added fancy Melbourne maps in advance of next week\u2019s race, and I\u2019d expect more fancy racing-focused maps in the future. Apple Music, Fitness, Podcasts, Sports, and even its retail stores will be part of a larger Formula One push. It\u2019s clear that the playbook Apple used to push \u201cF1: The Movie\u201d will continue with this wider relationship, at least in the U.S.<\/p>\n