Formula 1 on Apple TV will gain Dolby Atmos beginning Friday, October 23, when the 2026 U.S. Grand Prix weekend gets underway. Apple and Dolby are bringing the audio format to U.S. subscribers alongside Dolby Vision, giving viewers with compatible equipment both formats for every Formula 1 race weekend. Dolby Vision has been part of the service since the season began, so the upcoming change adds sound to an existing picture offering.
Viewers need a U.S. Apple TV subscription to watch, and playback of the Dolby formats requires supported equipment. Access is through the Apple TV app, with support covering compatible Apple devices as well as Dolby-enabled televisions, soundbars and home theater systems. Subscription pricing was not disclosed.
Dolby says Dolby Atmos will give viewers a sense of sound surrounding them as they follow the racing. The company points to commentary and communications over team radio as elements of the audio experience, alongside engine noise and activity in the pit lane. Apple’s vice president of Music, Sports, Apple TV, and Beats, Oliver Schusser, said adding Dolby Atmos is part of Apple’s effort to improve how fans experience Formula 1 through the service.
The accompanying Dolby Vision picture format is intended to improve color, contrast, brightness and detail, according to Dolby. Apple TV already offers each Grand Prix in 4K with Dolby Vision as part of its Formula 1 coverage. The first race weekend combining that picture format with Dolby Atmos will be the U.S. Grand Prix.
Apple TV holds exclusive U.S. coverage of Formula 1, with practice and qualifying available alongside Sprint sessions and races. Subscribers can watch those sessions live or choose on-demand viewing. The subscription also provides analysis, additional programming and original content exclusive to the service.
Viewers can use Multiview to follow several perspectives, including team layouts selected with one tap. Those layouts combine the main race broadcast with onboard feeds. Separate Podium and Data Multiviews also offer race information updated in real time, giving subscribers additional ways to follow the action alongside the main coverage.
