Formula 1 fans in the U.S. will soon be able to watch races from the 2026 F1 season on the biggest screens possible. Apple TV has announced a deal with IMAX to screen five 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship races in theaters: Miami, Monaco, Silverstone, Monza, and Austin.
It's an intriguing prospect, given that some races can be hampered by Red Flags or, on occasion, can be a tad uneventful. Still, watching the likes of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Lewis Hamilton battling it out on track in IMAX has the potential to be epic.
Apple TV is going all out to promote F1's move to the streaming platform from ESPN, and this deal with IMAX is obviously a big part of it.
Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of music, sports and beats, said today, "F1 is a rapidly growing force in sports and culture in the US, and by bringing F1 on Apple TV live to IMAX theaters nationwide, we're delivering the energy and excitement to even more screens in a truly immersive way."
"Apple TV and Joe Kosinski's brilliant 'F1: The Movie' proved beyond a doubt that the speed, precision, and artistry of Formula 1 translate beautifully to the IMAX Experience," added IMAX Chief Content Officer Jonathan Fischer.
"As we continue to expand our global content portfolio with awe-inspiring experiences, we look forward to working with Apple to amplify its live coverage of Formula 1 and give fans in the U.S. an all-new way to experience this fast-growing sport."
As of now, these screenings are only planned for the U.S. Overseas, Formula 1 will continue to air on Sky Sports, so it's unlikely that a similar deal would be struck in the UK, for example.
F1: The Movie, produced by Apple TV and distributed in theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures, raced straight to the top of the worldwide box office when it opened last June. Ultimately, it earned over $630 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing sports film of all time.
It was also last year's biggest original feature, delivering the biggest opening for an original live-action film in the US in the last five years, as well as Brad Pitt's highest-grossing feature to date. The film received an A CinemaScore, along with an impressive 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (where it was "Certified Fresh" with critics with 82%).
IMAX will be showing the following races from the 2026 season:
Miami Grand Prix – May 3
Monaco Grand Prix – June 7
British Grand Prix (Silverstone) – July 5
Italian Grand Prix (Monza) – September 6
United States Grand Prix (Austin) – October 25