The Brad Pitt effect is pushing Apple toward Formula 1: after its box office success, it's targeting TV rights.

MILAN – The appetite comes with eating and apparently the box office success recorded thanks to the film F1, starring Brad Pitt , is convincing Apple to invest more and more in four-wheeled racing cars.

The Financial Times reports Cupertino's interest in the circus's television rights in the United States, also noting a growing focus on live broadcasts of sporting events. This looms as a challenge with Disney's ESPN , which is the official broadcaster of Formula 1 in the American market until next year. ESPN had the right to negotiate the renewal exclusively, but the deadline expired without a handshake, so competition is potentially open.

It wouldn't be a "first" for the iPhone manufacturer in the world of live sports streaming: in fact, the agreement with Major League Baseball to broadcast Friday night games dates back to 2022, and it had already made a broader agreement with Major League Soccer for viewers in North America.

Obviously, Liberty Media, owner of the F1 rights for the US, would be hoping for this head-to-head, welcoming the attention generated by the film and also by a Netflix series like Drive to Survive. The City newspaper also notes that Liberty's focus on the US is evidenced by the fact that in recent years it has added Miami and Las Vegas to its racing calendar, in addition to the Austin, Texas , round. And then there's the fact that Cadillac , the American brand backed by financier Mark Walter's TWG Motorsports and General Motors, will be competing next year , and will be powered by a Ferrari engine for two years.

According to Citi estimates, the next deal would be worth more than $120 million a year, up from the current $85 million, but these were discussions made before the success of F1 (the film) at the box office: $300 million in revenue, the best result for an Apple production.