Formula 1 had earlier lost out on around 650,000 American viewers as per a recent report, mostly due to the Max Verstappen dominance rendering the sport boring and uninteresting to watch. But things seem to be changing, as a report by RACER, ESPN has revealed that F1 had an immense rise in viewers from the States for their Belgian GP, before heading into the summer break.
Formula 1 has finally managed to break into the US after years of sustained efforts. The Netflix series Drive to Survive played a major role in helping F1 gain a stronghold across the pond from Europe. The increased popularity of the sport in the US becomes even more evident by the fact that F1 is hosting three races this year in the US.
f1 las vegas gp countdown on sphere 🥹 pic.twitter.com/y35XDjOsQL
— rhita (@pxdricc) August 11, 2023
However, despite this increased popularity, F1 reportedly started losing out on viewers due to Red Bull’s dominance. The Milton Keynes outfit has been in a league of their own and has won all the races so far this season. This lack of competition has made the sport boring to watch, leading to a fall in viewership.
The Belgian GP brings the US audience back
Despite all of the aforementioned issues, the Belgian GP proved that F1 is still gaining ground in the United States. As per ESPN, around 1.17 million viewers tuned in to watch the Belgian GP from the United States, an increase of 12% compared to last season.
This was the largest viewership from the country for the event, and about 12% more than the numbers recorded in 2022. The Sprint race on Saturday also had a strong viewership with about 555,000 people tuning in, while around 405,000 watched the Qualifying session on Friday.
After winning the 2023 Belgian GP, Max Verstappen became the first driver EVER in the history of F1 to win at the Belgian GP, the British GP and the Monaco GP in the same season.
These GPs have been on the F1 calendar for ALL but 10 seasons since 1950 pic.twitter.com/9JvsClHESE
— formula.jokes (@FormulaJokes) August 14, 2023
The RACER quoted, “The 2023 season has had three of F1’s four largest live audiences in history on U.S. television.” While the inaugural Miami GP of 2022 holds the record of being the most-watched F1 race from the US, this year’s Monaco GP, Canadian GP, and Miami GP hold the rest of the three places.
The 2023 Miami GP had lost 25% of the audience when compared to last season, but that’s not enough to conclude that F1 is losing its charm in the US. Despite Red Bull’s dominance, which is making the sport boring for many, this season is averaging 1.24 million American viewers for the first 12 races. The number will surely be skyrocketing if any of the teams on the grid will manage to give Red Bull a hard time in the 2nd part of the season, as the sport will be worth watching then.
F1’s major investment in the US
F1 is making full use of the opportunity that they have right now to try and conquer the US market. As mentioned, there are already three races being held in the states this year, the United States GP in Austin, The Miami GP, and the brand-new Las Vegas GP.
Red Bull y un espectacular video promocionando el GP de Las Vegas#F1pic.twitter.com/xUCzRdk2fS
— Formula + (@Formula_Stats) August 17, 2023
Liberty Media invested around $240,000,000 to make the Las Vegas GP happen. They bought 39 acres of land to set up a permanent paddock that would host the race. However, despite all of this, there have been construction delays, and as is understood now, things will be extremely tight and might even put the race in jeopardy.
