Welcome to the Friday edition of the RaceFans round-up. Here’s a concise summary of the day’s highlights, notable commentary and links to relevant motorsport news and resources.
Comment of the day
What does the reported value of Sky’s new Formula 1 broadcast deal say about the series?
I’m surprised how low the successful offer was.
To put this into perspective, Sky paid £1 billion for five years of coverage in 2016. That means that in the 10 years since, the value has either not changed at all – or the current issues wiped out the entire value-add of what happened before in addition to the effect of 10 years of inflation.
@Alianora-La-Canta
Social media and links
Liberty Media Corporation reports first quarter 2026 financial and operating results (Liberty Media)
Liberty Media reported a 53% increase in Formula 1 revenue for the quarter, reaching $617 million. Operating income stood at $107 million and adjusted operating income rose 102% to $172 million. The company attributed the gains to strong underlying growth, the addition of an extra race during the quarter, and expected calendar impacts on revenue and cost recognition.
Alonso anticipa una travesía por el desierto (AS – Spanish)
Fernando Alonso said the team expects a difficult stretch: “In the dry we have no chance, and in the wet, possibly not either. You never know what can happen in the wet; it will be the first time with these cars in the wet. Only Ferrari has that luxury because they do unlimited testing with Pirelli. We’re not Ferrari, so we have to learn on the track.”
F1 rule tweaks have not fixed fundamental problems (The Telegraph)
Technical commentator Gary Anderson questioned whether recent rule adjustments achieved their intended effect. He noted mixed results across circuits, saying: “Did they work as intended in Miami? I do not think so – at best it was a marginal difference. The problem is that it is not easy to understand fully how the changes have worked at this point. Suzuka was a difficult track for energy harvesting whilst Miami was much better, so even with no tweaks it would probably have been better in the problem areas.”
Da Costa determined to stay in WEC after Alpine exit (Sportscar 365)
Daniel Da Costa joined the Signatech-managed Alpine squad for this season after pausing his WEC commitments to focus on Formula E with Porsche. Less than four months after Alpine confirmed his arrival, the manufacturer announced it would withdraw from the WEC’s top class. Da Costa has stated he is determined to remain in the WEC despite the change.
FIA FR and FIA F4 World Cups confirmed for Macau 2026 (FIA)
The FIA confirmed that the FIA Formula Regional (FR) and FIA F4 World Cups will be held at the Macau Grand Prix in 2026. Teams from the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship will be eligible for invitation to the FIA FR World Cup, with selection reflecting the championship’s international competitiveness. The highest-classified entrant in the 2025 Formula Regional Japanese Championship teams’ standings will also be considered. From 2027, one team from the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy teams’ standings will be selected by the regional promoter, further broadening global representation in the Formula Regional pathway.
From 2018 to now. Let’s do 200 more. #Penske60 pic.twitter.com/DLupQakoq9
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) May 7, 2026
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the RaceFans F1 social media directory
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Miguel, Tororosso, Paul Stilwell and Lowell Reed!
On this day in motorsport
- 15 years ago today Sebastian Vettel scored a dominant victory for Red Bull in Turkey
- Born today in 2005: Oliver Bearman
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