Formula 1 could be taken private within the next two years in a deal that might value the series at a staggering $30 billion, according to Crash.net. That is the bold assessment from former Liberty Media boss Greg Maffei, who believes the ownership landscape of motorsport's premier championship is heading for a seismic shift.
Liberty Media originally bought F1 back in January of 2017 from CVC Capital for around $4.6 billion. Under their watch, the beast has grown immensely. Thanks to the mainstream explosion of Drive To Survive and a heavy push into the US and the Middle East, F1's share price has rocketed up by 250% since 2017. Liberty also snapped up MotoGP in a €4.2 billion buyout in 2024.
Speaking at Sportico’s Invest New York 2026 conference, Maffei was asked directly if F1 will still be on the stock market in 2028. His response was blunt: "I’ll say F1 is gone." He explained the rationale clearly, noting that the easy money has already been made. With EBITDA up three times in eight or nine years, he pointed out that it simply is not going to multiply by three again in the next eight or nine years.
All of this comes as F1's popularity drives the valuation of the 11 teams on the grid through the roof. The championship is still eyeing expansion too, with Africa slated to join the calendar in the early 2030s via a race in Rwanda. F1 has also been linked with a permanent return to Malaysia, following the success of the Bahrain Grand Prix being hosted at Sepang in October. Should a sale happen, any change of ownership would require formal approval from the FIA, which owns the intellectual property rights for the series. Taking F1 private could even pave the way for the championship to adopt a US sports model, where an outside investor teams up with outfits on ownership.
Financially, the series has weathered some turbulence. The war in Iran severely impacted F1’s revenue in 2026, causing a 38% drop due to cancelled April races. Thankfully, things have stabilised significantly. Liberty reported that its earnings up to the third quarter were down by just $2m compared to the same period in 2025. If the upcoming races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi proceed as planned at the end of November and beginning of December, F1 is well on course to finish the year on solid ground.
F1
F1
