F1 has thrived by democratizing what was once a 'look, don't touch' sport, says McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown

McLaren CEO Zak Brown walks in the paddock during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 22, 2025 in Las Vegas, United States. (Credit: Jayce Illman—Getty Images)

• In today’s CEO Daily: Diane Brady reports on F1’s impressive rise from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
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• The markets: Up in the U.S. and Europe; down in Asia. 
• Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

Good morning. If F1 has suddenly appeared on your radar over the past few years, it’s due to a few factors: Liberty Media, team CEOs like McLaren Racing’s Zak Brown, consumer shifts, and the increasing role that sports play in corporate marketing. Liberty Media acquired Formula 1 racing from a consortium of investors in 2017 at a valuation of $8 billion and has since tripled that value through partnering to create U.S. races, Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive series, an F1 movie, the F1 Academy woman’s circuit, fashion, influencer marketing and broadcast reach that will further expand with an Apple partnership next year.