FORMULA ONE teams earned more than £1BILLION in prize money in the 2025 season, according to Liberty Media’s latest financial results.
Liberty Media have owned F1 since 2017, and have transformed the sport into a social media juggernaut.
F1 has always been the sport of the mega-rich, and that fact was confirmed once again after the company released its financial figures for the year ending 2025.
Total revenue for the motorsport increased by 14 per cent to a staggering £3.1bn ($3.9bn) in 2025, with operating income and Adjusted OIBDA surging to £496million ($632m) and £702m ($946m) respectively.
The increase was supported by an additional 6.75 million fans attending live races, up four per cent on 2024, and live viewership increasing by 21 per cent, according to the report.
Brad Pitt‘s record breaking F1 movie – now the highest-grossing sports movie ever – and a new US broadcast TV deal with Apple underpinned the increase in revenues and global growth.
Liberty Media’s report also highlights the Las Vegas grand prix weekend for the incredible reach the sport now has online, generating 1.8 billion social impressions from sponsor partners and race content.
F1 teams felt the benefit of these revenue streams as they earned more than £1bn in payments between them.
The team prize pot from Liberty Media broke the £1bn barrier for the first time in 2024, and this year the payment increased to £1.036bn ($1.4bn).
This payout is split between the teams based on performance and historical elements – such as the reported Ferrari payment that sees them earn five per cent of the prize fund because of their standing in the sport.
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McLaren raced to the Constructors’ Championship last year ahead of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari as drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished first and third in the drivers’ standings.
Curiously, the 10 teams who competed in 2025 received a smaller slice of the pie than the year before despite an overall increase of 11 per cent in the payments.
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Their share of the pie in 2025 decreased to 59.7 per cent from 61.5 per cent in 2024.
Following the signing of a new Concorde agreement through to 2030 which welcomed an 11th F1 team, the report also revealed a £37m ($50m) “incentive payment”.
Media rights were the driving force behind the latest annual figures for F1, making up 31.3 per cent of total revenue compared with 26.7 per cent in tickets and sanction fees and 21.7 per cent from sponsorships.
Hospitality, freight and licensing income made up the remaining 20.3 per cent.
Liberty Media also celebrated growth with MotoGP, which they acquired last year.
The motorbike championship saw profit increase by 86 per cent to £40m ($54m).
Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang said of the figures: “2025 was an exceptional and productive year for Liberty, and we are excited about the opportunities ahead.
“We delivered on our key strategic objectives – strengthening F1’s growth trajectory, completing the MotoGP acquisition and streamlining our structure following the Liberty Live split-off last December.
“This year, we remain focused on sustaining F1’s momentum, positioning MotoGP for future growth and remaining disciplined yet opportunistic with our capital to drive shareholder value.”
The 2026 F1 season starts in Australia on March 8.
