Mat Coch

The Azerbaijan GP was a disaster for Alpine with potentially significant financial implications. Not only is there the cost of repairing two cars, but there's possibly far greater ramifications because of the lost points. #F1

Had Gasly and Colapinto finished 6th and 7th, they'd have scored 14 points. That would have potentially put Alpine just 1pt away from Racing Bulls for fifth on the constructors' championship. That's worth around $12 million extra in prize money. #F1

Adrian Newey holds a 4.7% stake in Aston Martin, but there are conditions attached. I dug into company documents and can reveal the full details on his investment in the Silverstone squad. #F1 1/3

Newey's holding is a bit different to most. He doesn't hold the shares on paper, and is only eligible to them beyond March 2030. The shares have no extra rights meaning they're effectively just a strong medium-term financial incentive. #F1 2/3

Major news at Aston Martin with American billionaire Woody Johnson buying a stake, valuing the team at $3.5 billion. Johnson's slice understood in the region of $525 million. Stroll and his investors saved/bought Force India (now Aston) for $117 million in August 2018... #F1 1/3

The value of F1 teams continues to rise driven by scarcity and a more robust financial model (prize money payments, cost cap, etc) making them lucrative investment vehicles. Buy in is rising but there's still plenty of room for growth. #F1 2/3

In the Liberty Media Q2 earnings call, Stefano Domenicali said a German GP return 'definitely will happen'. This follows recent comments about potential interest in the event's return, at a time when F1 is seemingly in the market for a potential season finale. #F1 1/3

Domenicali qualified his comments by saying there's a lot to be done and there's nothing imminent but it is a key market, citing the presence of Mercedes and Audi. "I think Germany wants us to think in the medium term if they can come back into the calendar," he said. #F1 2/3

F1's latest financials make for difficult reading. Revenue down $462m in Q2 alone, operating income down 75% in the same period. There is a huge element of Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GP cancellations in there, but that's not the complete picture. #F1 1/4

Fewer races means fewer opportunities for secondary revenue streams - VIP hospitality, logistics, etc. Some costs also don't scale. FOM has invested in staff and IT systems, driving up some costs YoY. Bahrain will be offset in Q4 with Sepang. #F1 3/4

F1's latest financials make for difficult reading. Revenue down $462m in Q2 alone, operating income down 75% in the same period. There is a huge element of Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GP cancellations in there, but that's not the complete picture. #F1 1/4

The FIA will meet with drivers in Hungary to discuss racing guidelines and recent penalties, the Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton Belgian incidents included. It was scheduled before the Spa race but comes at a useful time. #F1 1/3

Stewarding will always be somewhat inconsistent because it is a role performed by humans. It's open to interpretation. The driving standards guidelines are intended to minimise that variation, but they can never eliminate it. However, Spa highlighted another issue. #F1 2/3

The Monaco pit lane penalty saga is a mess. The failure lies entirely with FOM and the measurement of the first pit lane loop. Everything else is just a consequence—one that has highlighted a massive paradox in the regulations. Let me explain... #F1 1/4

The International Sporting Code relies on an overarching principle of "sporting fairness." Is it fair Alpine could appeal when others couldn't? Is it fair to strip Gasly's corrected position? This is exactly why McLaren & Red Bull HAVE to take this to the ISC. #F1 3/4

The Monaco pit lane penalty saga is a mess. The failure lies entirely with FOM and the measurement of the first pit lane loop. Everything else is just a consequence—one that has highlighted a massive paradox in the regulations. Let me explain... #F1 1/4

Rumours surrounding Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas highlight the disparity between real journalism and social media reporting. The world has changed in the last decade and there is a growing push to be first to publish on social media, but with that comes danger. #F1 1/3

In the rush to be first, fact checking gets forgotten or ignored, and rumour mistaken for factual reporting. In doing so misinformation spreads wildly, and that creates issues. Now, teams are constantly having to address speculation. That's an issue. #F1 2/3

Filings with the SEC show Principal Global Investors now holds ~3.8% of Liberty Media, specifically the F1 tracking stock. It's a passive holding, there's no influence associated with it, but it's and interesting development. #F1 1/3

It shows that, at institutional level, there remains confidence in F1 despite its on track issues. At PGI, Kamal Bhatia run principal asset management and has hundreds of billions in assets under management. There are significant industry figures involved, too. #F1 2/3

Huge news out of the FIA. Changes to F1 engine rules, with increase in combustion power of 50kW via fuel flow increase, and 50kW reduction in energy recovery system. This, a week on from Miami where, heading in, it was a case of analyse the changes voted through in April. #F1 1/3

Teams and power unit manufacturers have been involved in this process, which has been ongoing for some time. Final proposals were tabled today and will go to World Motor Sport Council for ratification following a vote from the power unit manufacturers. #F1 2/3

The ADUO window has been changed by the FIA. With Bahrain and Saudi cancelled, the first ADUO window now opens after 5 races. Power units more than 2 per cent down at that point will get an opportunity to catch up. #F1 1/3

This was meant to be after Round 6, which would be now. First window will now open after Canada. Period 2 will be post-Hungary, and the third after Mexico City. The intent is to equalise without completely flattening the performance differences between engines. #F1 2/3

F1 has posted the best Q1 financial results in the sport's history. Revenue of $617m, up from $403m last year. It could have been better too were it not for the cancellation of Bahrain and Saudi. Teams were paid $184m of that in prize money. #F1 1/3

The growth is explained in part by three races in Q1 2026 vs two in 2025. There is also the usual fee increases, but the Q1 report gives special mention for Standard Chartered's sponsorship. This highlights the strong financial position the sport finds itself in. #F1 2/3

F1 has renewed its broadcast agreement with Sky in the UK and Italy, the former until 2034 and the latter until 2032. It's another good move, shoring up more of the foundational revenue and insulating FOM from elements like unpopular regulations. #F1 1/3

FOM last year generated revenue of about $3.9 billion. Just under a third of that came from television broadcast deals, about $1 billion. Sky UK's current deal is estimated to be worth about £200m and is set to expire at the end of 2029. This is a 5yr extension. #F1 2/3

The FIA has clarified maximum recharge rules for Miami. There is no change this weekend, despite what was announced last week re the rule change. While the maximum figure CAN be reduced to 7 MJ (was 8MJ), the FIA has not done that this weekend. #F1 1/3

Maximum in quali remains 8 MJ, in the race its 9 MJ with overtake, 8.5 MJ without. Super clipping is expected to be just 2s/lap. The big change is the deployment. There's now defined areas where drivers can use 350 kW, the rest of the time its 250 kW. #F1 2/3

Silverstone has offered to host another grand prix this season. I'm confident in saying it won't happen! While there have been two cancelled races, there is no real pressure or need to replace either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia. #F1 1/3

The lost revenue for Formula One Management is not as significant as it appears, and the impact to the teams is effectively invisible with expected increases elsewhere covering the $110m+ in lost hosting fees. FOM has no minimum broadcast pressure either. #F1 2/3