Australian F1 fans frustrated by Kayo Sports’ new broadcast deal — and more

Formula 1 has extended its broadcasting agreement with Kayo Sports, and the decision isn’t going down well with Australian fans.

Foxtel first secured the F1 rights back in 2015, which brought an end to free-to-air coverage. The company later launched its streaming service, Kayo Sports, in 2018.

The initial deal was renewed in 2022 through to the end of 2026. Now, just before this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, both sides have announced that the partnership will be continuing into 2027 and beyond.

Kayo Sports deal extension disappoints Australian F1 fans

The official F1 Media account announced the news on X, but Australian fans didn’t hold back in the comments.

One person said: “Nooooooooo. We wanted Apple TV.”

Apple recently picked up the rights to show F1 in the United States, using F1TV coverage.

Others complained about the price, with one calling Kayo ‘prohibitively expensive’ and another saying the ‘exorbitant’ packages made it ‘impossible’ for younger fans to start watching the sport.

A basic Kayo plan is $29.99 a month, while premium is $45.99. Another person predicted: “Another price hike coming soon.”

Others chimed in with comments like ‘worst possible decision, should go to Apple TV or Stan’ and ‘well that’s ruined my day’. It’s worth noting that the Australian GP will continue to be shown for free by Network 10.

Fans’ claims of Sky Sports bias led Kayo Sports to add F1TV option

Kayo Sports added an F1TV commentary option for the last four races of the 2025 season. Up until then, they had only carried the Sky Sports UK feed, but the change gave viewers a new audio choice for Sunday’s coverage.

The move came after some fans accused David Croft and Martin Brundle, the main Sky commentary duo, of showing bias toward British driver Lando Norris over teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri.

Croft has maintained ties with Mark Webber, suggesting there was no real issue from Piastri’s side.

Brundle has been open about his view that Piastri needs to get better on low-grip circuits if he wants to win a title, calling his 2025 campaign “partly painful, partly brilliant.”

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Formula 1's season opening Australian Grand Prix looks set to go ahead without major disruptions after teams arrived in Melbourne despite the on-going conflict in the Middle East.

The joint US-Israel attack on Iran, which has led to retaliatory strikes on Middle Eastern nations including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain, has dominated world news in recent days.

As the official civilian death toll crossed 1,000 on Wednesday according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, widespread travel disruptions among the Middle East's key travel hubs of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are just a footnote that pales into insignificance.

How latest Iran-US war is impacting F1 and WEC

But the region's shutdown still posed a few challenges for F1 personnel making the trip to Australia for this weekend's season opener in Melbourne.

As teams rerouted staff, Motorsport.com understands F1 also booked three alternative charter flights through Tanzania and Singapore to ensure personnel key to the running of the event would make it to Melbourne in time, with most arriving by Tuesday evening.

None of the teams contacted by Motorsport.com reported any operational issues as a result of the delayed arrivals, but they did collectively ask the FIA to relax the usual curfews in place during a grand prix weekend.

On Wednesday, the governing body announced that "due to force majeure" it would not enforce the standard curfews on Wednesday and Thursday night that keeps personnel involved in running the cars out of the paddock.

"We wish to inform you that, following consultation with the stewards of the meeting, due to force majeure and specifically ongoing travel and freight disruptions experienced in the preparation of the Australian Grand Prix, the provisions of Article B9.5.1a i.e. “Restricted Period 1” and Article B9.5.1b i.e. “Restricted Period 2” shall not apply at this Competition," the FIA communicated.

Per F1's sporting regulations, those periods correspond to Wednesday and Thursday night:

“Restricted Period One”: Commencing forty-two (42) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1 and ending twenty-nine (29) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1.

“Restricted Period Two”: Commencing eighteen (18) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1 and ending four (4) hours prior to the scheduled start of FP1.

McLaren and Mercedes team members due to test in Bahrain for Pirelli have all left the country.

Mercedes and McLaren staff leave Bahrain after cancelled Pirelli test

Staff from Mercedes and McLaren who were temporarily stuck in Bahrain have all been able to leave the country. The two teams were scheduled to conduct a planned Pirelli tyre test at the Bahrain International Circuit, which was called off after the US Navy Fifth Fleet's headquarters in the capital Manama was struck by Iranian drones and missiles.

But it is understood the crew involved were all evacuated from the Gulf state safely earlier this week, with some travelling onwards to Melbourne.

What's next for F1's Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds

F1 said it would continue monitoring the developing Iran situation in the coming days and weeks as a decision will soon be due on whether or not the upcoming grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia can go ahead as planned.

Earlier this week, the FIA World Endurance championship decided to call off its pre-season test and season opener in Qatar, which was set to take place in two weeks from now. F1 has a bigger, five-week window until it sets up shop in Bahrain, but due to logistical requirements it won't be able to wait very long to make a final decision.

The most likely scenario appears to be that F1 uses the one-week window between the China and Japan rounds to make a final call on whether a visit to the Middle East is at all viable, or whether it drops the two rounds in Bahrain and Jeddah. But despite rampant speculation, it seems unfeasible for F1 to replace its Middle Eastern rounds with last-minute races elsewhere given the logistical and commercial realities involved.

Commenting on the situation, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: "With the ongoing situation in the Middle East, it seems trivial to talk about sport. We watch the developing events in the region with concern and hope that the protection of civilian life remains paramount.

"With the planned tyre test in Bahrain, we have had several team members affected who thankfully have now been able to leave the country safely."With such a serious situation unfolding, it would be unhelpful to talk about the possible further impact on F1 over the coming weeks; we know that the FIA and F1 will continue to monitor events and make the necessary and correct decisions as and when they need to."

WEC postpones 2026 opener due to Middle East conflict

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The Washington Commanders have only one running back under contract for 2026. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt returns after a promising rookie season, where he rushed for 805 yards, eight touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per attempt.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. is a restricted free agent and should be back. Veterans Jeremy McNichols and Austin Ekeler are also free agents, with McNichols having the best chance to return.

Washington needs another back. Apparently, the Commanders are seeking a specific type of back. Matthew Berry of NBC Sports revealed what he'd heard about Washington's search for a running back at last week's 2026 NFL combine.

I’m told the Washington Commanders “want a thumper” and by that I mean a true early-down star running back. They felt like once Austin Ekeler went down last year, the run game struggled. They think Chris Rodriguez is a nice back but don’t like him in the passing game, and they clearly found something in Jacory Croskey-Merritt aka BILL but think of him more as a “2 or a 3” than a true lead back. My guess is the running back who leads Washington in touches next year isn’t currently on their roster.

The good news for Washington is that there will be options. The Seattle Seahawks decided not to place the franchise tag on Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III on Tuesday, meaning he'll be a free agent next week, barring an extension. The New York Jets did apply the franchise tag on their running back, Breece Hall.

In the latest episode of the Football 301 podcast, analysts Nate Tice and Matt Harmon made some free-agency running back predictions. Harmon sees Walker going to the Commanders.

"I think they really, really want an explosive back," Harmon said. "They want to get more under center, so send Kenneth Walker there."

Last week on Football 301, @Nate_Tice and I talked about why we liked the idea of Travis Etienne signing with the Chiefs.

Tried out some more fits for other free agent RBs on today's show:

Rico Dowdle -> Denver
Kenneth Walker -> Washington
Tyler Allgeier -> Seattle pic.twitter.com/jnm8vIDUyw

— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) March 4, 2026

That's two respected analysts in two days connecting the Commanders to a top running back. Harmon even acknowledged he thinks Washington would take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love if he fell to them at No. 7 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, in this instance, the Commanders believe there's a chance that Love doesn't make it out of the top five, so they spend on a premier back.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Analysts predicts them to sign Kenneth Walker

• Englishman has led team to back-to-back triumphs

• Tiger Woods is first choice to take over US captaincy

Confirmation that Luke Donald will captain Europe’s Ryder Cup team for a third time is expected on Wednesday, in a move that will increase pressure on the PGA of America to tie down Tiger Woods to lead the US at Adare Manor next September. Woods, who is the first choice to succeed Keegan Bradley, has been publicly vague on his captaincy status. News on Donald will enhance Europe’s sense of continuity and togetherness with the US picture uncertain.

Donald has been widely lauded for his approach in Rome and New York, where Europe won back-to-back Ryder Cups. After a dramatic success at Bethpage last year, it was apparent players wanted the Englishman to remain in office.