American F1 Market Questioned as Miami GP Suffers Embarrassing Dip in Viewership Rating

The 2023 Miami GP was the first out of three races set to take place in the United States this year, and it lived up to its hype- until the race started. After experiencing a high in viewership ratings in its inaugural race in 2022, Miami saw a major dip in race viewership last week.

In 2022, ABC Network reported that were an average of 2.58 million viewers watching the very-first race at the Miami International Autodrome. In 2023, however, this number took a major hit with ABC and ESPN reporting numbers of 1.64 and 1.96 million viewers respectively as per The Athletic. These numbers only reflect the viewership count of the actual race, and not the events taking place before or after.

Goin’ home with some new hardware and a custom #MiamiGP jersey 🏈🏆 pic.twitter.com/D8Dh7c7qPc

— F1 Miami Grand Prix (@f1miami) May 8, 2023

A lot of fans were questioning the planned growth of F1 in America, and how it would sustain if an event as heavily marketed as the Miami GP suffered from staggering viewership losses. People had different opinions as to what could have caused this downfall, with some blaming the racing action.

Despite F1’s best efforts, a huge portion of the US still considers NASCAR or IndyCar to be better spectacles when it comes to racing. Ray Salomone wrote on Twitter-

“Great event except for the race. They need to figure that out or Americans will tune out.”

Why did Miami GP ratings take a dip?

Sunday was a busy day for sports in America, with several other events taking place throughout. The Kentucky Derby and USFL were being broadcasted on national television, with the NBA Playoffs also being on the schedule.

As per The Athletic Derby, the Kentucky Derby Ratings also took a dip whereas the USFL got a boost. Other sporting events may have played a factor in ensuring a comparatively lower viewer turnout for F1’s race in Miami, but the general opinion among most fans is that the sport needs better racing.

Matthew on Twitter, wrote-

“Imagine what would happen if the race was actually interesting. Miami is not one of the good ones.”

Imagine what would happen if the race was actually interesting. Miami is not one of the good ones.

— Matthew 🌻🇦🇺🇺🇦 (@MatthewLokot) May 9, 2023

NASCAR and IndyCar aren’t as glamorous as F1, and don’t share the same worldwide popularity. But, because they provide better racing action, most fans in the US would rather tune into that.

Golden lining for Miami future despite poor ratings

Even with 1.96 million viewers, the 2023 Miami GP became the second most watched F1 American race of all time as per Adam Stern. This shows that even though the ratings have taken a hit when compared to last year, the sport has gotten more popular in the Stateside.

.@ABCNetwork got 1.96 million for @F1Miami (excluding pre race), down from 2.6 million but still the second most-watched live F1 race ever in U.S.

🔲Top markets:
1) Miami
2) West Palm Beach
3) Austin
4) Buffalo
5) Knoxville
6) Ft. Myers
7) Norfolk
8) Phoenix
9) Chicago
10) S.F. pic.twitter.com/h2fKYxGcka

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) May 9, 2023

Most of the viewers of the race were from Miami itself, whereas Austin, which is set to host the US Grand Prix later this year is fourth. However, Las Vegas, where the most anticipated Grand Prix of the year is scheduled to take place, doesn’t feature in the top 10.