Formula 1 has plenty to learn from football’s biggest tournament

Formula 1’s summer break has provided an opportunity to reflect on the pressures facing the sport, and the recent World Cup offered several striking comparisons. Both competitions are expanding their calendars, reaching new audiences and asking fans to pay more for the experience.

An exhausting calendar

The 48-team World Cup delivered 104 matches after a season in which players had already faced an expanded Club World Cup and crowded domestic schedules. F1 has its own workload concerns after a 24-race 2025 season followed by early testing in February. Drivers and paddock staff have repeatedly warned that a longer calendar carries a human cost.

When results are not settled at the finish

Football’s VAR reversals and the reversal of Folarin Balogun’s red card highlighted a frustration familiar to F1 supporters: the result can change after the event has ended. Pierre Gasly’s podium in Monaco was cited as an example of a result that was altered and later restored through stewards’ decisions and appeals. Post-race scrutineering is essential to the integrity of motorsport, but delays can drain the emotion from a race.

The appeal of underdogs

The World Cup also demonstrated that greater competitive access does not necessarily reduce the quality of the spectacle. Spain remained a deserving champion, while Cape Verde’s run captured attention and Germany’s early exit created compelling drama. For F1, that points toward continued debate over the number of teams, spending limits and resource-allocation rules.

Growth has a limit

World Cup stadiums reached 99.7 percent occupancy despite final tickets reportedly reaching $12,000, but commercial success did not prevent backlash over the tournament’s direction. F1 faces a similar danger as race attendance becomes increasingly expensive. Silverstone general-admission prices have more than doubled since 2016.

Reigning champion Lando Norris captured the concern, saying: “The thing that’s a shame is that Formula 1’s (become) too heavily led by the fact it’s a business nowadays and not how can you make the sport the best possible.” His warning is that goodwill can disappear faster than it is built.

Even the tournament’s hydration breaks offered a possible glimpse of F1’s future. With extreme heat becoming more common, mandatory pauses for safety could eventually become part of the racing conversation—although turning them into predictable broadcast advertising windows would bring its own controversy.