Oracle Red Bull Racing’s joint 2026 car launch with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls was meant to mark the beginning of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains era. Instead, it also revealed something else.
Apple’s hardware is no longer just adjacent to Formula 1. It is starting to appear inside the sport’s own production and engineering moments.
This was not a race weekend broadcast. It was a highly produced global media event, streamed directly on Red Bull’s platforms. And Apple’s presence throughout the show was difficult to miss.
“Shot on iPhone” Moves Into Live F1 content
At multiple points during the launch, a “Shot on iPhone” label appeared on screen as part of the broadcast itself. This was not a separate Apple ad or a pre recorded promo segment. The branding was embedded directly into Red Bull’s official event stream.
That distinction matters.
Apple has used “Shot on iPhone” for years, but it has typically kept that campaign separate from live sports production. Here, the branding crossed into an official Formula 1 team broadcast, signaling a deeper level of integration.
Rather than positioning the iPhone as a marketing afterthought, Red Bull treated it as a legitimate production tool for a global F1 audience.
Apple Vision Pro Was Not a Demo. It Was Part of the Presentation
Apple Vision Pro was even more striking.
Presenters wore the headset on stage during segments related to Red Bull Ford Powertrains, using it as part of the technical storytelling rather than as a novelty. This was not framed as immersive entertainment. It was framed as a visualization and engineering tool.
That aligns closely with Apple’s broader messaging around Vision Pro. The company has been pushing the idea that spatial computing belongs in professional workflows, not just media consumption.
Red Bull is highly selective about what appears on stage at events like this, especially when future facing partnerships are involved. Vision Pro’s inclusion felt deliberate and purposeful.
Apple is Moving Closer to Formula 1’s Inner Ecosystem
Taken together, these moments point to a subtle shift.
Apple hardware is no longer limited to ads, films, or hypothetical future broadcasts tied to Formula 1. It is now appearing inside real, team run productions connected to engineering, powertrain development, and technical storytelling.
That places Apple closer to Formula 1’s operational ecosystem, not just its media surface.
For a company that values control, presentation, and long term positioning, this kind of integration does not happen by accident.
Red Bull’s 2026 launch may have been about new cars and a new engine era, but it also offered a glimpse at how Apple is embedding itself deeper into the sport, one production decision at a time.
