Five predictions for the motorsport industry in 2025
With a new year upon us, BlackBook Motorsport writer Cian Brittle picks out some of the key stories and trends set to shape the business of motorsport over the next 12 months.
January 7, 2025
Cian Brittle
2025 is here, which means a chance for a set of bold predictions that run the risk of looking foolish by the year’s end.
This writer’s predictions for 2024 may have been on the fence to avoid too much proverbial egg on face, but this time I’m planning a whole new approach.
With that in mind, I take a look at the off-track politics expected to dominate multiple series, how differing TV strategies in the US are set to have opposite impacts, and why the ‘official chocolate bar’ of Formula One is just the beginning.
1. F1 and FIA headed for acrimonious divorce
This may be considered somewhat over-dramatised – but bear with me.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is the regulatory body for global motorsport, so ultimately Formula One would struggle to exist without it, but it’s not outside the realms of possibility. After all, the breakaway Grand Prix World Championship that almost became a reality in 2010 came at a time when teams wielded a fraction of the commercial power they now have.
While starting a new series was likely only ever a bargaining chip 15 years ago, Formula One is an entirely different beast today. Its acquisition by Liberty Media has been revolutionary for the series’ global standing, but could Formula One continue its momentum without the ‘F1’ brand itself?
It may be a risk worth taking if controversial FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem continues on his current path. The Emirati may be up for re-election at the end of 2025, but his dictatorial plans (yes, really) has Formula One and its teams rightly concerned.
All parties should look to the infamous IndyCar split as a warning of what can go wrong, but Formula One could use this bureaucratic chaos as an opportunity to establish greater independence – a divorce of sorts.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has stoked controversy throughout his time in control of motorsport’s governing body
2. New TV deals will bring contrasting fortunes for Nascar and IndyCar
The two major US-based series enter 2025 with very different broadcast plans, and it is likely that we will see contrasting outcomes from their respective deals.
NBC, Fox, Amazon and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) have agreed to split the Nascar Cup Series schedule in a seven-year pact. This means the series not only increases its number of broadcast partners, but it is also set to generate the most annual income from a media rights contract in its history as part of the US$7.7 billion deal.
However, Nascar fans will need to navigate five broadcasters and up to ten different platforms – whether linear or digital – to watch the entire Cup Series and Xfinity Series seasons.
IndyCar, though, will air exclusively on Fox. There will be 19 windows of coverage on the network’s flagship channel during the 2025 campaign. This makes IndyCar the only motorsport series whose races will be aired exclusively on broadcast television in the US.
The simplicity of access for IndyCar fans can only be a good thing for viewership, especially after a poor end to the 2024 season.
Ultimately, don’t be surprised to see IndyCar have a strong year before seeing serious viewership gains in 2026. Conversely, Nascar looks set to suffer another audience fall this season, especially during the midseason stretch of streaming-only races.
3. Nascar will see a new dawn after 23XI Racing and FRM lawsuit
Away from its new broadcast deal, Nascar is facing plenty of uncertainty due to its ongoing lawsuit with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports (FRM).
In October last year, the two teams filed a lawsuit claiming the stock car racing series had ‘used anti-competitive practices to prevent fair competition in the sport’. This was all centred around the new charter agreements put in place for the start of this season.
After months of not knowing whether they would be allowed to compete as chartered entries, the teams won a key legal battle by being granted a preliminary injunction to compete as full-time entries in the 2025 season.
In addition, both teams were granted permission to purchase charters from Stewart-Haas Racing, which closed its Nascar operation at the end of the 2024 season. The judge also ruled that Nascar must approve those purchases.
Related posts
What’s going on with Nascar’s charter system?
Will a new charter agreement pave the way for more private equity investment in Nascar?
With 23XI counting National Basketball Association (NBA) icon Michael Jordan as one of their owners, this was always going to be a slightly different lawsuit and so it has proven. In short, perhaps few other team owners would have been brave enough to take this legal action.
The lawsuit is expected to be resolved by the start of the 2026 Cup Series. Whatever the outcome, the landscape in Nascar will change forever.
A victory for the teams would see a rebalancing of power as they take more commercial and financial control moving forward, something that now doesn’t seem out of the question. If Nascar wins, it surely spells the end for 23XI and FRM in the Cup Series, given competing as open entries will not be financially viable.
And while the latter result would strengthen Nascar's position over the teams, could a win for the series encourage certain outfits to break away altogether?
4. Liberty Media’s MotoGP takeover will drag on – but expect a 2025 completion
Liberty Media starts 2025 still waiting on approval for its acquisition of MotoGP.
Announced in April last year, executives had initially expected the deal to be completed by November but that deadline has now come and gone.
There were concerns that EU regulators would have questions, especially since CVC Capital Partners had to sell MotoGP in 2006 after acquiring Formula One, representing a like-for-like set of circumstances.
But all the noise out of Liberty was that this would not be a problem. After all, it’s a very different world today compared to 2006.
The EU’s new antitrust chief Teresa Ribera put paid to that idea, though. She is reportedly concerned the acquisition could hamper competition in broadcasting and streaming markets, considering Liberty’s existing ownership of Formula One.
Liberty may be made to sweat a little, but it would be a surprise to see the takeover blocked seeing as Formula One and MotoGP are vastly different global properties, even if it takes until later this year for final approval to be granted.
5. The commercialisation of F1 will reach new heights
Commercialisation in Formula One has already rapidly evolved in a very short time, but we saw one deal in 2024 that indicates the future sponsorship direction for the series.
There was a hint of this direction when Duracell signed on as Formula One’s first Drag Reduction System zone sponsor at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and it was confirmed when Formula One announced its first-ever official chocolate bar partner.
The deal makes KitKat a trendsetter for named partnerships in Formula One as the series looks set to pursue a sponsorship strategy similar to that deployed in Nascar.
The stock car racing series has everything from an official iced tea to an official debt relief partner. While it would be a surprise to see Formula One go quite this far, don’t rule out some similarly quirky naming deals moving forward.
Evidently, there is a clear direction from chief commercial officer Emily Prazer, who is a year into the role and responsible for major deals with the likes of LVMH, American Express and Lego. Expect much more in 2025.
loading.....
