Released NASCAR texts from their antitrust lawsuit are causing legal chaos and you will find out how in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup. I also have the details from the first ever F1 Business Summit, how the paddock is the new boardroom and much more!
Motorsport Industry News
Details From the First F1 Business Summit
Relevance, authenticity and being ‘always on’ communicating with fans were the buzzwords as Las Vegas hosted the first ever F1 Business Summit on the eve of the Grand Prix. There was even a glimpse into a future where Formula 1 teams would replace wind tunnels with a digital twin of their race car.
BlackBook Motorsport lists five things they learned at the F1 Business Summit while Mark Mann-Bryans of Sector thinks that Vegas is where F1 now does business better than anywhere else.
ABX London to Feature Laurent Mekies and Spotlight Power Shift Across Motorsport
If you missed the F1 Business Summit, you can still attend ABX London. The next edition of the Autosport Business Exchange (ABX) will take place in London, following a successful event in New York City that highlighted the rise of racing in America.
ABX London will be held on 21 January 2026, and take place at Town Hall by Bottaccio, King’s Cross, London, preceding the 38th edition of the Autosport Awards at the Roundhouse later that same day.
The prestigious event will be headlined by Laurent Mekies, who was recently appointed CEO & team principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing in Formula 1. He will take part in an exclusive, in-depth conversation on leadership, competitive transformation, and the ever-changing commercial landscape heading into the next era of F1 with new regulations.
The Grid Is the New Boardroom: How Motorsports Creates High-Value Business Relationships
Rolling Stone has a great article on how the racing paddock is a great place to forge meaningful business connections. “This is also why racing attracts an undeniably powerful audience beyond drivers. Founders, builders and brands all converge around a common energy and the pursuit of maximum performance. Motorsport is the proving ground for the world’s most respected luxury automakers and for the stories they want to tell. It’s a literal test lab for innovation, unfolding in public view, and it’s undeniably sexy. And for those wired to grow, lead and build, it becomes a natural backdrop for connection.”
FIA Admits to ‘Weakness’ in F1 Cost Cap Rules That Red Bull Exploited
The FIA has conceded that a “weakness” in the Formula 1 regulations leaves the door open for teams to make power unit changes without cost cap consequences. “So this has been a weakness in the current regulations — the combination of financial plus technical and sporting — and it’s been an area where we’ve adopted this approach where we accept these changes without getting into discussion about the impact on the cost cap.”
Las Vegas Grand Prix Hints at Race Extension and More
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali used his time onstage at F1’s business summit last Thursday to make clear that the series wants to continue the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as the series signals its intent to make Sin City a long-term home reports Sports Business Journal.
“Some residents and small businesses in Vegas have questioned whether the ROI is there for the event, but Domenicali feels it is delivering: “We feel the love, the momentum of our sport, and because by nature we are quite competitive, we feel we are doing an incredible job for the community and this is all what it’s about. I think we are delivering a great result for the resorts, city, community, and this is what we want to do. … We want to stay for a long time here, I want to make sure everyone is clear of that.”
With the news that the Las Vegas Grand Prix has agreed to multi-year contract extensions with Caesars Entertainment and T-Mobile, this suggests that the race will remain on the Formula One schedule beyond the expiry of its contract in 2027.
And while the race was sold out, it is hard to say if it will make any appreciable difference to the current Vegas tourism slump, and questions still surround its place on the calendar, especially fronting a complicated, jet-lag inducing three-leg stint finishing in the Middle East.
Why F1 wants More Races to Include Eye-Catching Elements Established in Las Vegas
When Liberty Media completed its acquisition of Formula One almost eight years ago, it became clear very early on that there was an ambition to enact change and do things differently. Luke Smith in The Athletic explains why F1 wants more races to include eye-catching elements established in Las Vegas.
African Race for Formula 1: Who is Truly Ready for a Grand Prix?
Dr Maja Czarzasty-Zybert looks at and breaks down the various candidates for a Grand Prix in Africa, something F1 clearly wants to happen. “Today, the African race is no longer just a dream, it has become a geopolitical competition. One that speaks not only to motorsport, but to infrastructure, governance, energy transitions, tourism, and the power of narrative.”
Why Mercedes F1 is Now Worth More Than Liverpool and Most NBA Teams
In 2008, Honda sold its F1 team based in Brackley, UK, for a symbolic fee of £1.
This week, that same team — now Mercedes, which enjoyed record-breaking domination of F1 through the 2010s — was subject to a $6 billion valuation after American billionaire George Kurtz bought into Toto Wolff’s holding company, which has a one-third stake.
Even five years ago, INEOS paid just £208m for a third of the team, making it one of the group’s best sporting investments yet.
For The Athletic, Luke Smith takes a look at how Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team came to be worth more than soccer giants like Liverpool and Barcelona, most NBA teams and one-quarter of NFL teams.
And Smith is not alone. Toto Wolff has said that F1 is not at its full potential despite Mercedes’ $6bn valuation while Aston Martin F1’s managing director of commercial and marketing Jefferson Slack feels there is no reason why the Aston Martin Formula One team cannot eventually be worth the same as National Football League (NFL) franchises.
PepsiCo Could Add Team Deal to F1 Presence, Activating Heavily at Vegas
The Sports Business Journal reports that PepsiCo has held discussions about adding to its newfound presence in Formula 1 by striking a team deal, according to people familiar with their plans, and company global CMO Jane Wakely was coy when asked about the topic in Las Vegas. “Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team has been tipped as a potential favorite to land PepsiCo’s business, as SportBusiness earlier reported.”
NASCAR Teams Lost $2.2M Per Car in 2024
Court filings from the 2025 NASCAR antitrust lawsuit reveal teams lost an average of $2.2M per car in 2024, exposing structural cost issues and profit disparities amid escalating Next Gen era expenses. Check out the details in these two articles:
MotoGP “Could Use” Some of F1’s Street Circuits Says CEO
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has not ruled out the possibility of MotoGP hosting races on some of the street circuits featured on the Formula 1 calendar. “We have no problem racing on street circuits; the only thing we need is run-off areas, and in Las Vegas it’s difficult to have them,” he said.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Mahindra Racing Commits to Formula E
Mahindra Racing has committed to Formula E until 2030 and I have the details on what that means to the series in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. I also have details on sustainable power at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and more!
The Numbers This Week
Las Vegas Grand Prix Brings in Big Numbers
Motorsport Law Roundup
Felipe Massa 2008 F1 Case Analysis
With the recent ruling that the Felipe Massa “crashgate” case proceeding to trial albeit on limited grounds, here are two great articles that analysis the judges decision and what may happen moving forward.
NASCAR, Michael Jordan Head to Court in Industry-Shaping Trial
A jury trial that could fundamentally reshape the business relationship between NASCAR and its teams—and that will feature Michael Jordan, NASCAR CEO Jim France and other major American sports figures—will begin next Monday in federal district court in Charlotte, N.C. This trial will happen unless a settlement is reached over the Thanksgiving holiday. Michael McCann from Sportico looks at what’s at stake.
“The trial also won’t be the last word. Whichever side loses can, and almost certainly will, appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Fourth Circuit might not have the last word either, as the losing party could then petition the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility this sports antitrust dispute, like so many others in recent years, lasts several years,” McCann wrote.
Text Messages in NASCAR Legal Action Causing Chaos
If you want to understand why businesses prefer to sue than go to court, you just have to look at the NASCAR antitrust lawsuit referenced above that is set to go to trial on Monday. As part of the legal proceedings, a trove of text messages have been released that give an unvarnished look at what some NASCAR officials think, and it’s not pretty.
Richard Childress Racing stated last Monday that “legal action is being contemplated” after its owner was insulted by NASCAR executives, as revealed by these very text messages. Expect a busy Thanksgiving of negotiations before Monday.
Joe Saward Provides a Number of FIA-Related Legal Updates
In his latest Green Notebook from Zzyzx, veteran motorsport journalist Joe Saward provides some updates on FIA-related legal actions that you may or may not be aware of, some of them that could prove quite explosive.
The Business of Running a Race Team
Having Secured F1 Slot, Dan Towriss Looks to Build Motorsports Empire
Cadillac Formula 1 Team CEO Dan Towriss says he is not bitter about how hard it was to get into Formula 1 and looks back at it as a blessing in disguise: “It wasn’t the kind of rejection of, ‘You’re getting closer, keep trying, you’re almost there.’ It was, ’This is never happening, go away, we don’t want to talk about it.’ From [team principal Graeme Lowdon’s] perspective and my perspective, we were just committed — we never had a doubt that it was going to happen, even when people [against the bid] were going on the record in a press conference or the CNBC documentary, whatever it was, and saying, ‘The 11th team is never going to happen.’ Our mantra was, ‘Our work continues at pace,’ and we just kept building, and it really just made us better along the way.”
Read the complete feature at Sports Business Journal.
Team & Manufacturer News
