A new Forbes analysis makes something plain: Formula 1 has gone from niche European racing into a full-blown global investment frenzy, with the ten teams now averaging roughly $3.6 billion in value and the sport’s crown jewels outpacing dozens of entrenched American franchises. That kind of money doesn’t appear because of government favors or woke branding exercises — it’s the result of private capital seeing real profits and global audiences paying for premium entertainment.
Ferrari sits atop the pile with a valuation in the mid single-digit billions, and Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull follow close behind as buyers and sponsors circle like investors smelling opportunity. Those headline valuations put teams on par with — and in some cases ahead of — many NFL, NBA and MLB franchises, proving that savvy management and brand equity still reward investors who actually build something people want.
Forbes points out that the average F1 team revenue is now in the hundreds of millions and that overall valuations have risen dramatically since 2023, a clear sign this is not a bubble created by speculation but a sustained commercial boom. Revenue growth, lucrative sponsor deals, and expanding TV rights have turned teams that once teetered on insolvency into sought-after assets, and that’s the free market working exactly as it should.
The deals on the table tell the same story: McLaren’s owners accepted a multibillion-dollar buyout, Aston Martin drew multiple rounds of high-priced minority investments, and discussions around a Mercedes stake have implied valuations north of several billion dollars. Private equity and strategic buyers aren’t paying those multiples for vanity — they’re pricing in brand reach, merchandise, technology transfer and an ever-growing American fanbase.
Big manufacturers are also settling into the sport as long-term owners, with Audi’s takeover of the Sauber outfit and other corporate moves underscoring that F1 is now a global industrial and marketing battleground. That influx of strategic capital should make conservatives cheer: successful industries attract investment, create high-skilled jobs, and export both technology and reputation.
That said, prosperity brings challenges. When private equity and global conglomerates write the checks, sport can drift from grassroots passion toward shareholder-first thinking, and too much commercialization threatens the connection between ordinary fans and the teams they love. Americans who value community and competition should support the free market while insisting that owners respect heritage and fans rather than turning beloved institutions into soulless cash machines.
Liberty Media’s efforts to expand F1 into the United States and build a bigger business model have clearly paid off, proving that market-driven cultural exports can beat the tired models of entitlement and state-subsidized spectacles. If conservatives want to champion a winning formula — small government, private investment, and consumer choice — Formula 1’s current boom is a case study worth noting.
We should welcome the growth, but keep our eyes open: demand transparency on deals, protect competition on the track, and celebrate the capitalist engine that made this possible. Hardworking Americans know the difference between real value and hype, and they deserve a sports landscape where merit, not ideology, drives success.
