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Even the race-start sequence had my heart beating in my chest.
Dolby and Apple invited me to Chelsea Studios in New York on October 6 to preview Formula 1 in Dolby Atmos. I went curious. The sound of an engine passing through the room made me want to hear a live race in it.
John Couling grew up just outside Donington Park, where he could hear and feel racing cars from his home long before becoming Dolby’s senior vice president of Entertainment. He told me how those sounds stayed with him. Bringing fans closer to that feeling is why the F1 partnership matters to him.
Formula 1 in Dolby Atmos arrives on Apple TV in the U.S. with the United States Grand Prix weekend, beginning Friday, October 23. The race itself is October 25. Apple launched its F1 coverage in March with 4K, Dolby Vision, and 5.1 surround sound. Atmos is the next addition.
I think Apple is putting its attention in the right place. A race ought to make you want to watch the cars even when the running order hasn’t changed, and hearing an engine arrive, pass, and accelerate away is part of the sport’s attraction that a broadcast can carry into your room.
F1 Already Has the Microphones
Couling told me at Chelsea Studios that Apple and Dolby can use F1’s existing trackside microphones and sensors for the Atmos coverage without adding capture hardware. Apple’s Head of Sports, James DeLorenzo, added that this is Apple’s first use of Atmos in sports.
F1 is already collecting those sounds. Dolby Atmos gives the audio team more choices about where to place them, including overhead on suitable systems, with compatible equipment adapting the mix to your setup.
Both gentlemen described a mix that includes engines, commentary, team radio, and pit-lane sound. You’ll still need to understand the words. When you’re listening to a driver explain a problem over the radio, you need the engine to leave room for the message, so placing all those sounds around you also means deciding which ones should hold your attention at that moment.
Apple is Still Building its F1 Coverage
DeLorenzo also mentioned that Apple plans to use iPhones for selected camera angles at Austin, getting shots from places a traditional broadcast camera can’t fit. We’ll see those additions when the race arrives.
Those production changes belong alongside the live IMAX screenings and F1 across Apple’s other services. Apple is giving people more places to encounter the sport, more ways to follow it, and now something else to hear when they sit down for the race.
Eddy Cue and Stefano Domenicali announced a five-year U.S. broadcast partnership beginning in 2026, giving Apple time to build on what it’s learned during its first season and keep improving the coverage for fans who decide month by month whether they’re getting enough from the subscription to keep paying.
I could hear the appeal at Chelsea Studios, but the real test is how much of that reaches you at home, on the equipment you actually use, during a race you’re watching for the competition as much as the sound.
Two weeks ago, Cue told me that Apple has more viewers than last year’s linear coverage and is reaching a younger audience with more women. Apple hasn’t published average-minute audiences for individual events, so we can’t yet compare that claim with ESPN’s figures.
For the October 23 debut, the announcement covers the Apple TV app on supported Apple devices and compatible Dolby-enabled TVs, soundbars and home theater systems. You may already have what you need.
Apple’s setup guidance explains that Apple TV 4K’s high-bandwidth Atmos output doesn’t work over a standard ARC connection. If you’re using an Apple TV 4K with a soundbar, check your setup before Friday practice.
For Dolby, F1 gives you another recurring reason to use the sound system you may have bought for films. If you usually save it for movie night, now you have something else to put it to work on.
I’ll admit, the preview was convincing. Now I want to hear a full race weekend on my own equipment and find out how well the mix carries the cars’ movement while keeping commentary and team radio clear.
Business of Speed covers the business, technology, and lifestyle of racing: Formula 1, IndyCar, IMSA, WEC, NASCAR, and more. From Vincenzo Landino, entrepreneur and creator, featured in Bloomberg, TBPN, Yahoo! Finance, Forbes, Adweek, and Front Office Sports. You can find us on Instagram, Substack, and LinkedIn.
