Formula One honours global excellence as Abu Dhabi leads 2025 Promoter Awards winners in London ceremony

 

Formula One (F1) has officially recognised the best performing race organisers of the 2025 season highlighting a year that set new record for global fan engagement and even innovation. The primary winner was the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which was named 2025 Promoter of the year for delivering a world class season finale that hosted a record 339,000 fans in addition to a historic three way title showdown. The awards reinforce F1’s shift from being a pure sporting contest to a global entertainment spectacle. By rewarding Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia for their concerts along with “spectacle,” F1 is signalling to all 24 promoters that they are expected to be “mini festivals” rather than just race tracks. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali emphasised that these winners set the “high standard” for the sport’s next generation. As F1 introduces radical new car and engine regulations in 2026, the promoters are under pressure to ensure the off track experience keeps pace with the technical reset.

The F1 Promoter Awards serve as the official “industry standards” ceremony where F1 honours the race organisers who went above and beyond during the previous season. While the core message of the 2025 awards is about Abu Dhabi’s dominance, the broader context explains why these awards have become so critical to the sport’s modern strategy. Domenicali has used these awards as a public “instruction manual” for all 24 promoters as the sport enters the 2026 technical reset. In 2026 introduces radical new car designs and a 50/50 hybrid engine split. Domenicali’s context is that the off track experience must match the on track innovation. Promoters are being told that “good” is no longer enough: they are now responsible for “breaking barriers” and setting a standard that justifies the sport’s massive global growth.

Domenicali used the ceremony to frame the promoters’ work as foundation for the sport’s record breaking success in 2025. “As the sport enters its next generation in 2026, we have a responsibility to continue breaking barriers and setting a high standard for others to follow. I want to thank all our promoters for their hard work and innovation and encourage them to keep developing their events in 2026 and beyond.”

Domenicali’s use of the word “responsibility” regarding 2026 is a signal to promoters that their contracts are tied to their ability to innovate. With several historic tracks facing pressure from new venues, these awards are a “report card” for survival.

The Fan Experience award for the Hungarian Grand Prix carries significant weight for the sport’s “legacy” circuits. Hungary’s recognition for massive paddock and grandstand upgrades serve as a public message to other historic tracks: modernise or be replaced. With Madrid joining the 2026 calendar as a purpose built “spectacle” venue, current promoters are being “incentivised” through these awards to match that level of infrastructure to keep their slots on the 24 race calendar.

By rewarding specific types of innovation, F1 is actively reshaping the requirements for any circuit that wishes to remain on the 24 race calendar. The award for Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi signals that high budget off track entertainment is now a “baseline” requirement rather than a bonus. Smaller, traditional European promoters will face immense pressure to match the “mini festival” model to secure contract renewals. These awards solidify the “Americanisation” of the Grand Prix weekend, where the race is just one component of a larger “entertainment property.”

By Charlie Gardner 

📸 Imagery courtesy of Formula One and BWT Alpine Formula One Team