Archer Aviation and Formula 1 Sign Multi-Year eVTOL Air Taxi Deal

Archer Aviation and Formula 1 signed a formal multi-year partnership on 12 November, aiming to bring eVTOL air taxi services to selected grands prix worldwide — while Archer's Midnight aircraft remains at least two years from certification, with Archer targeting 2027.

The agreement pairs one of the world's most commercially powerful sports properties with a manufacturer still working through the certification process for its aircraft. For Archer, the audience exposure is the point. "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," said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer Aviation, according to reporting by Aerospace Global News and Flying Magazine.

Flying Magazine reports that Archer has been named an Official Supporter of Formula 1 under the arrangement.

What does the partnership actually cover?

The core of the deal is exploratory rather than operational. The two parties plan to study the feasibility of eVTOL air taxi operations at Formula 1 venues, including identifying dedicated vertiport locations at circuits.

Proposed services would carry:

• VIPs
• Spectators
• Event stakeholders

All would fly on Archer's Midnight aircraft. Air taxi services could also be bundled into hospitality and ticket packages, positioning Midnight not merely as transport but as a premium event experience — a framing that suits the Formula 1 brand.

What is the Midnight?

The Midnight is a five-seat aircraft: four passengers plus a pilot, designed for short urban journeys. It uses 12 propellers, takes off and lands vertically and requires no runway. Its maximum range is around 100 miles (160 km), with a top speed of roughly 150 mph (240 km/h).

A Midnight prototype was already on public display at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in October, giving the partnership a visible launch point ahead of the formal announcement. Further aircraft appearances are planned at the Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, according to Aerospace Global News — both events that draw heavy volumes of international visitors.

Where does Archer plan to operate?

The initial focus markets are the United States, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Miami and Texas, both Formula 1 race hosts, are being explored as potential air taxi network locations.

Separately, Flying Magazine reports that Archer is planning a vertiport in downtown Los Angeles, which would sit alongside any Formula 1-linked infrastructure in California.

What stands between the deal and revenue?

Infrastructure and regulatory approval. Both outlets make clear that none of the planned operations can move forward without sign-off from aviation authorities, and commercial passenger operations depend entirely on Midnight receiving certification — which Archer is targeting for 2027, per Flying Magazine.

That timeline makes the partnership, for now, a planning framework rather than an imminent service. The event appearances and vertiport studies are groundwork. Vertiport infrastructure does not yet exist at any of the circuits mentioned, and regulatory approvals remain outstanding across multiple jurisdictions.

Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer of Formula 1, framed the deal in terms of shared ambition: "Innovation is at the heart of Formula 1, and Archer shares our passion for pushing boundaries and exploring what is possible."

The bottom line

Archer is using Formula 1's platform to build awareness of Midnight among precisely the audience most likely to pay for a premium urban air taxi ride: affluent, event-driven and comfortable with high-performance technology. The commercial logic is straightforward.

What matters is the gap between ambition and operation. The deal is signed, the aircraft exists in prototype form and the target markets are well chosen. Whether certified operations at Formula 1 venues actually follow will hinge on how the certification process unfolds over the next two to three years, making the 2027 target the critical date to watch.