Explained: F1’s billion-dollar value as ‘most valuable sports empire’
Liberty Media, who own F1, are valued at $21 billion (£16.8bn), pricier than the ownership groups that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United belong to.
F1 itself is valued at $17.1 billion (£13.8bn).
Forbes’ top 10 most valuable sports empires
1: Liberty Media (Formula 1, Atlanta Braves, Drone Racing League, Meyer Shank Racing) – $20.8bn
2: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (Arsenal FC, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rapids) – $12.75bn
3: Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys, The Star) – $11.32bn
4: Fenway Sports Group (Liverpool FC, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins) – $10.4bn
5: Madison Square Garden Sports (New York Knicks, New York Rangers) – $9.17bn
6: The Kraft Group (New England Patriots, New England Revolution, UFC) – $7.94bn
7: Yankee Global Enterprises (New York Yankees) – $7.64bn
8: Glazer Family (Manchester United, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – $7.53bn
9: Paul G. Allen Trust (Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trail Blazers) – $7.41bn
10: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC) – $6.42bn
Forbes wrote: “Liberty Media’s sports empire, worth $21 billion, sits on top. Headed by billionaire John Malone, Liberty’s primary sports assets are the Formula One auto-racing circuit (enterprise value: $17.1 billion) and the Atlanta Braves MLB team ($2.1 billion).
“Formula One had a banner 2022, averaging 1.21 million viewers across the ESPN family of networks, the highest on record for the series, and signed a new television deal in June reportedly worth at least $75 million a year, 15 times its previous deal.
“No wonder Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund considered acquiring Formula One for $20 billion last year, according to Bloomberg.”
The reported bid from Saudi Arabia has caused a stir in F1.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, has been criticised by F1 for involving himself in the matter in a series of tweets.
Ben Sulayem is also at the centre of a controversy to potentially allow new teams into F1 for 2026.
Separately, The Times reported that the FIA president made sexist remarks on an old, personal website.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
