F1: The Athletic Launches F1 Coverage

By Mark Cipolloni

Formula 1 is so popular around the world now, the sports media publisher The Athletic is expanding coverage into the world of Formula 1 racing, spurred by growing audience appetite in a sport that is largely underreported compared to stick and ball sports.

Three reporters will be assigned to F1, one editor and a dedicated team of design resources, with plans for additional hires in the near future, said Seb Tomich, the chief commercial officer of The Athletic.

The coverage will also include a podcast produced by an independent publisher, called The Race, whose rights The Athletic has acquired, as well as a forthcoming newsletter in March.

“This is a really big commercial, reader and global opportunity,” Tomich said. “F1 is a global sport, and this is something we want to build on in the long term.”

The Athletic decided to expand into F1 for a number of reasons, though rising consumer interest in the sport served as the primary catalyst, according to Tomich.

In the U.S., 36% of subscribers to The Athletic expressed interest in F1, while it has become the second-most followed sport among U.K. subscribers, according to Tomich.

“F1 is having a moment, from Drive to Survive to its three U.S. races,” Tomich said. “You bring that together, and marketers love when relevance meets scale.”