Last weekend, when Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix took place, marked a major shift as regards the broadcasting of the world’s most important car racing category in Mexico. Fox Sports México (Grupo Lauman), which was the holder of the rights, aired neither the practice nor the qualifying sessions held on Friday and Saturday (October 3 and 4). It was on Saturday, October 4 that it was announced that the race scheduled for Sunday, October 5 would be broadcast live by another sports network: Sky Sports (owned by Grupo Televisa), available only through Pay TV operators Sky and Izzi, both belonging to Televisa too.

Fox Sports México had been having trouble making payments to Formula 1 for some time. In fact, on two occasions during the current season, the sports channel could not air practice and qualifying sessions, although it managed to solve the problem before Sunday, so that it was allowed to air the race. Last weekend, however, the conflict flared up. Formula 1 decided to terminate the agreement with Fox Sports México and to enter into a new agreement with Sky Sports.

The new contractual relationship between Formula 1 and Sky Sports commenced on October 5 and will be in force until the end of the 2028 season. The agreement includes the live broadcast of not only the race but also the practice and qualifying sessions in each of the 24 Grands Prix within each season. Regardless of the agreement with Sky Sports, the option offered by F1’s own streaming platform, through a pre-paid plan called F1 TV Pro, will remain available in the Mexican market.