Apple’s ‘F1 Live in IMAX’ offers fans a novel perspective

When Apple first announced its plans to livestream five Formula 1 grands prix in IMAX at more than 50 movie theaters across the U.S., a first-of-its-kind offering that would give live motorsport its silver screen debut, fan sentiment was initially lukewarm. Could it really make tracks like Miami and Monaco, which have drawn criticisms over race quality in recent years, into a more exciting product?

With the project’s opening round — the Miami GP — now in the books, the verdict is officially in: F1 belongs in IMAX.

Despite an ill-communicated start time change that bumped the event to a mid-morning kickoff, attendees sporting pieces of team kit and “F1: The Movie” merch packed the Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk in Los Angeles on Sunday. The crowd was representative of F1’s rapidly evolving viewer demographic, a mix of longtime fans and new converts that mostly skewed younger. For many, it was the first time they’d ever watched a race outside of their own home.

“I’m hoping the sound is really loud and I can feel the cars moving,” one such fan told RACER on his way inside. He thought the project would offer an elevated viewing experience that audience members with all levels of familiarity with motorsport could enjoy. “I saw that it’s sold out, so it’s pretty clear that a lot of people want to do things like this.”

Audience members were given complimentary checkered flags to wave at the end of the race.

Inside the theater, the atmosphere was loosely reminiscent of a grandstand on race day. Fans with similar allegiances greeted one another as they headed to their seats, and big moments in the race drew collective claps, cheers and groans from the crowd. Though F1 has moved mountains to increase its U.S. viewership in recent years, including the addition of Miami and Vegas to the season calendar, many fans still find it cost prohibitive to attend a race in person; the IMAX experience meets them halfway, bringing a taste of the on-track experience to cities nationwide.

Teenage fan Jasmin found the opportunity to interact with like-minded supporters to be one of the coolest parts of the screening.

“It was a new experience that was really unique and definitely catered to a lot of fans who couldn’t go and watch [the race] in Miami,” she said. “I saw a lot of other McLaren fans and was able to go up to them and say, ‘Yay, McLaren!’ I saw a lot of Ferrari fans linking up, too.”

Fellow McLaren fan Aileen Morales was also quick to highlight the impact this sense of kinship had on her viewing experience.

“I thought it was great. Fans of different teams cheering everyone on definitely made it more exciting than watching alone at home. It was an amazing feeling.”

An active member of the online motorsport community, Morales believes Apple’s IMAX project offers fans a chance to bring their digital connections into the real world.

“This is such a safe and cool opportunity to meet online friends, and maybe even meet new people if they’re wearing merch from your team,” she said. “Like, ‘Hey, let’s root for them together!’”

The sound and picture quality of the IMAX stream left something to be desired at points; video compression issues and disappointingly quiet engine sounds were among the growing pains fans thought could be improved for the next event. Despite that, the overall experience was unlike any other available off-track. Even the most jaded of longtime viewers would have been captivated watching the tumultuous first and last laps of the race unfold on the big screen.

Fans Peter and Dalton, who often go out to sports bars to watch races, were particularly impressed by the intensity of watching a broadcast at theatrical scale.

“I was moving my head a lot more than usual because the screen is so big that there’s so much to look at,” said Peter. “It was a great experience. I definitely want to do it again.”

Fans got a close-up view of a McLaren showcar and Artura and 750s supercars.

Cierra Seawright, who fell in love with F1 after watching Netflix’s “Drive To Survive” two years ago, felt the silver screen brought a new level of excitement to the race.

“The onboards, with the IMAX screen being so big… that made it fun,” she said.

Her friend Mackenzie agreed.

“The POV shots especially were wicked intense.”

After the race, attendees stopped to take photos with a McLaren showcar at the McLaren fan zone near the entrance to the building, giving them one last taste of a grand prix experience by seeing a car up close.

Apple’s “F1 on Apple TV Live in IMAX” experience continues June 7 with the Monaco Grand Prix. Go to IMAX.com to find a showtime near you.