Muscat: ESPN has aired F1 races since 2018, entering a three-year extension that runs through next season at roughly $90 million annually. Despite having anticipated competitive bids, ESPN is walking away from further negotiations, opening the door for NBC Sports and Netflix—both of which met with Formula 1 officials last week, per Front Office Sports.

NBC Sports previously carried F1 from 2012 to 2017, while Netflix’s popular docuseries, Drive to Survive, has been widely credited with boosting U.S. interest in the motorsport. The show’s seventh season is slated to drop next month.

Although ESPN hit a record 1.21 million viewers per race in 2022, that figure dipped to 1.1 million in both 2023 and 2024. Looking ahead, the 2025 F1 season is set to kick off in Melbourne on March 16, followed by high-profile stops in Miami (May 4), Austin, Texas (Oct. 19), and Las Vegas (Nov. 22)—just as ESPN prepares to bid farewell to the global racing spectacle.