Nov.12 (GMM) Formula 1 could be sold and taken private within the next two years, according to former Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei.
Speaking at Sportico’s Invest New York 2026 conference, Maffei predicted that F1’s days as a publicly traded business may be numbered.
“I’ll say F1 is gone,” he replied when asked whether the championship would still be on the stock market in two years.
“If I had to put my money down that’s where I’d put it,” he added.
Liberty Media acquired F1 in 2017 in a deal valuing the business at around $8 billion. Its market value has since climbed to almost $28 billion, boosted by expansion in the United States, new sponsors and a 24-race calendar.
But Maffei believes the most dramatic growth is now over.
“The easy money’s been made,” he said.
“The EBITDA is up three times in eight or nine years. It’s not going to go up three times again in the next eight or nine years.”
The speculation follows another significant development at Liberty, with John Malone recently surrendering most of his voting power, leaving the board with greater freedom to consider potential offers.
Maffei said directors would have a legal obligation to consider any serious proposal in shareholders’ interests.
Any buyer would potentially need around $30 billion, with sovereign wealth funds or private equity groups among the possible bidders.