Greg Maffei predicts Formula 1 could go private by 2028

Former Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei claims Formula 1 could be taken private within the next two years in a deal that could value the series at $30 billion. He spoke at Sportico’s Invest New York 2026 conference earlier this week and predicted that "F1 is gone" from the stock market by 2028.

Maffei expects a massive sale

Maffei believes the opportunity to cash out is imminent because "the easy money’s been made." He noted that the EBIDTA is up three times in eight or nine years, but it is not going to go up three times again in the next eight or nine years. This prediction follows a period of significant growth for the sport since Liberty Media bought F1 in January 2017 for around $4.6 billion. Since that acquisition, the share price has increased by 250% to 300%.

Liberty Media founder John Malone recently reduced his voting power from 48 per cent to three per cent after exchanging his high-vote stock for low-vote stock. This move leaves the board of directors with control over the sport. Malone said last year that if someone is willing to pay more than the board thinks they can deliver to shareholders, then they would sell. Any ownership change requires approval from the FIA, which owns the intellectual property rights.

Financial performance and market reach

The sport faces recent revenue volatility because the war in Iran caused the cancellation of April races, which led to a 38% drop in revenue. However, Liberty reported last week that earnings up to the third quarter were down just $2m compared to the same period in 2025.