Netflix streams its first live F1 race this weekend — Canadian GP, US only
Netflix is streaming a live Formula 1 race for the first time this weekend. The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix — running May 22–24 in Montreal — will be available to Netflix subscribers in the United States, marking the platform's first live F1 broadcast.
The deal
Apple TV+ becomes the exclusive US home of Formula 1 from 2026, under a five-year agreement worth roughly $750 million, or about $150 million per year. That's nearly double what ESPN — which held the US rights for eight years — paid at around $85–90 million annually, per Motorsport.com. Apple carries the full race calendar; ESPN is out entirely.
As part of the same arrangement, Apple and Netflix exchanged content. Netflix gets to air one race — the Canadian GP — while Apple TV+ gains US streaming rights for Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 8. That's the first time the behind-the-scenes docuseries, which has run on Netflix since 2019, will stream on two major platforms in the same launch window.
What this means for viewers
US fans now have a split picture: Apple TV+ for the full 2026 season, Netflix for a single race. If you already subscribe to Netflix and want to dip into live F1 without committing to Apple TV+, this weekend is your window.
The Canadian GP slot looks like a deliberate test. Netflix has previously broadcast live sports — MLB games and a BTS concert among them — and the logic here is clear: millions of Drive to Survive viewers have never watched a race live. One high-profile broadcast is a low-risk way to find out how many of them will.
For UK viewers, nothing changes. Sky Sports holds F1 rights through 2029, and neither the Apple deal nor Netflix's one-race slot affects that arrangement.
The Netflix announcement confirms the Canadian GP broadcast window as May 22–24, US subscribers only.
The bigger picture
Apple's $150 million annual rate signals how much streaming platforms are willing to pay for live sports — and how completely the era of F1 on cable TV is over in the United States. There is no traditional TV fallback for US audiences in 2026. Whether Netflix parlays this single race into a recurring slot will depend on how many viewers tune in on Sunday afternoon.
