Silhouettes of an Archer Midnight eVTOL air taxi and a Formula 1 car under the F1 and Archer logos, Official Supporter of Formula 1

Archer Formula 1 Deal: Air Taxis Could Fly Fans to Grands Prix

by Connor Kerr | Nov 13, 2026 | Mundo de la aviación, Noticias | 0 comments

Anyone who has sat in the queue out of a Grand Prix car park knows the problem. On Thursday 12 November 2026, Archer Aviation and Formula 1 announced a possible answer from above: a multi-year partnership that could one day see electric air taxis flying VIPs and fans to and from race circuits.

Under the deal, Archer will be present at select Grands Prix in markets where it plans to run air taxi services, across the US, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The two partners will also explore bringing eVTOL flights into the race weekend itself, using Archer’s Midnight aircraft.

The key word is explore. Neither side has announced a first race, a route, a ticket price or a date for the first passenger flight. What they have signed is a framework, and a very public stage for an aircraft that has not yet carried paying passengers.

Datos rápidos

Anunciado: Thursday 12 November 2026
Fogonadura: Archer Aviation and Formula 1
Tipo: Multi-year partnership; Archer present at select Grands Prix
Plan: Explore future eVTOL air taxi services for VIPs and fans at Grand Prix events
Ideas under study: Air taxi drop-off and pick-up points at circuits; flights in F1 hospitality and ticketing
Aeronave: Archer Midnight: piloted, four passengers, 12 propellers
Next display: Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix later in 2026
Estado: No first race, route or date for passenger flights announced

What the partnership covers

According to the joint announcement, the partners will look at dedicated air taxi drop-off and pick-up points at circuits, and at adding air taxi flights to Formula 1’s hospitality and ticketing offers. The idea is that, as Archer’s commercial operations come online in F1 markets, fans could skip the traffic between major airports, business districts and the track.

Archer is already an Official Supporter of Formula 1. Midnight went on display for fans at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, and the company says the aircraft will be shown again at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this year.

Archer Midnight electric air taxi N703AX flying low over a runway with its twelve propellers turning — Archer’s Midnight, registered N703AX, in flight. The four-passenger eVTOL is the aircraft Archer and Formula 1 want to use for future race-day flights. Photo: Archer Aviation press photo, via Tomorrow’s World Today

Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein framed the deal around audience size and shared engineering. The company cites a figure of 830 million Formula 1 fans worldwide, which it sees as a global pool of potential passengers.

“With 830 million fans worldwide, Formula 1 gives us a global audience of prospective passengers who are as obsessed with high-performance vehicles as we are. Motorsport and aerospace share the same engineering DNA, which made this a natural partnership.”

Adam Goldstein — Founder and CEO of Archer, announcement of 12 November 2026

Why the race calendar fits

Archer says its planned US air taxi networks map closely onto the F1 calendar. It has already unveiled planned networks in Miami and in Texas, two states that host Grands Prix, and outside the US it is targeting the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

The Middle East link is the most concrete so far. In July 2025, Midnight began test flights in the UAE from Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, where it was evaluated in local heat, humidity and dust as Archer prepared for operations in the region.

Archer’s own footage of Midnight’s first flight in the UAE, the region where the company plans one of its first commercial rollouts.

For Formula 1, the attraction is a futuristic addition to a race-weekend product that already sells premium hospitality. Chief Commercial Officer Emily Prazer presented the deal as an experiment in how new technology can change the fan experience.

“Innovation is at the heart of Formula 1, and Archer shares our passion for pushing boundaries and exploring what is possible.”

Emily Prazer — Chief Commercial Officer of Formula 1, announcement of 12 November 2026

The aircraft behind the pitch

Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger electric aircraft built for short, rapid back-to-back hops. It has 12 propellers: six tilting units on the front of the wing that provide lift for take-off and thrust in cruise, and six fixed rear propellers used only for vertical flight. Archer designs it for speeds of up to 150 mph and a range of up to 100 miles, with six independent battery packs.

The announcement leans hard on the motorsport comparison. Archer argues that the power-to-weight demands of an eVTOL are comparable to an F1 car’s, and that its electric propulsion, composite structure and aerodynamics are engineered as one system, where every gram of structure has to earn its place.

Archer Midnight eVTOL air taxi parked on the apron in front of an illuminated Archer building at dusk — Midnight on the apron outside an Archer facility. The company says its planned air taxi networks map closely onto Formula 1 race locations. Photo: Archer Aviation press image

The caveat is timing. Midnight has not yet entered commercial passenger service, and the release ties any race-day flights to Archer’s commercial operations coming online in each F1 market. Until then, the aircraft will be an exhibit in the fan zone rather than a ride out of it.

A pattern of big-stage deals

Formula 1 is the latest in a string of headline sports tie-ins for Archer, which was named the official air taxi provider of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2025. The company has also been growing fast on the industrial side: in August 2026 it announced a deal to acquire Boeing’s Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid subsidiaries.

Motorsport and aviation have traded ideas for a century. If Archer gets Midnight certified and into service, the fastest part of a Grand Prix weekend might one day be the trip to the track.

Sources: Archer Aviation and Formula 1 joint release (Business Wire, 12 November 2026), AeroTime, Tomorrow’s World Today, Archer Aviation

Header photo: Archer Aviation / Formula 1 (press image)

Preguntas frecuentes

What did Archer Aviation and Formula 1 announce?

On 12 November 2026, Archer Aviation and Formula 1 announced a multi-year partnership. Archer will be present at select Grands Prix in markets where it plans to operate, and the two will explore future eVTOL air taxi services that could fly VIPs and fans to and from race circuits aboard Archer’s Midnight aircraft.

Will Archer air taxis fly fans to Formula 1 races?

Possibly, but not yet. Archer and Formula 1 say they will explore air taxi drop-off and pick-up points at circuits and adding flights to F1 hospitality and ticketing. No first race, route, price or start date has been announced, and flights depend on Archer’s commercial operations coming online in each market.

What is the Archer Midnight?

The Archer Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. It has 12 propellers, six tilting units on the wing front and six fixed rear propellers for vertical flight, six independent battery packs, and is designed for speeds up to 150 mph and a range of up to 100 miles.

Where can fans see the Archer Midnight at a Grand Prix?

Archer’s Midnight was displayed for fans at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, where Archer appeared as an Official Supporter of Formula 1. Archer says the aircraft will be on display again at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later in 2026.

Which regions does the Archer and Formula 1 partnership cover?

The partnership focuses on Grands Prix that align with Archer’s planned commercial markets in the US, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Archer says its planned US networks, including Miami and Texas, map closely onto Formula 1 race locations, and its international rollout plans could support service in other race cities.