Apple's F1 broadcast deal has been years in the making

AUSTIN, Texas :When Bernie Ecclestone was asked about a group of guests receiving VIP treatment at a Formula One race nine years ago, the commercial supremo said they were representatives of "a fruit company".

The explanation reflected his particular sense of humour, and secretive way of working, rather than any disparagement of Apple Inc .

Friday's announcement of Apple's five-year deal for Formula One's U.S. broadcast rights, replacing Walt Disney's ESPN, was seen as a logical follow-on from the box office success of Apple's F1 movie, starring Brad Pitt.

The California-based company's interest in the sport, at a senior level, goes back much further than the last couple of years however.

THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR A LONG TIME

Eddy Cue, senior vice president of services with 36 years at Apple, is a long-time board member of Ferrari - where Stefano Domenicali, now chief executive of Liberty Media-owned Formula One, was team boss from 2008-14 - and a lifelong F1 fan.

"I already knew Stefano very well... but knowing and having our team and their team working that closely together for a long period of time (with the movie) I think gave both sides confidence of the kinds of things that we could do together," he told reporters after the deal was announced.

"But yes, I've personally thought about this for a long time."

Tommy Baker, a friend and associate of Ecclestone since the 1981 Long Beach Grand Prix, told Reuters he had a meeting in London in August 2016 with Cue and the now 94-year-old.

The American said they discussed a 12-part 'From The Grid' show Baker had pitched after a failed previous attempt to produce an F1 lifestyle series in the 1990s, with Ecclestone supportive.

"Apple was ready to go with it in 2017... they were going to