This growth can be attributed to several factors, including the impact of the Netflix series Drive to Survive and the expansion of the US Grands Prix to include a second race in Miami and a third race in Las Vegas. In 2023, it also has the added value of an American driver in Logan Sargeant.
However, the series must still establish a foothold in a market dominated by the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR.
The impact of Drive to Survive
Drive to Survive has significantly impacted American perception of Formula 1. Released in 2019, the series takes viewers behind the scenes of F1 racing.
According to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, the series has been a “game-changer” for the championship’s popularity in the United States. The series has introduced many Americans and generated new interest among casual fans.
The storytelling in Drive to Survive has helped change the definition of a ‘winner’ for American F1 fans and expand what matters in the championship.
Race-day ticket sales for the first United States Grand Prix held after Drive to Survive debuted in 2019 rose 15% over 2018. Over 400,000 people turned up for last year’s US GP, and one million more watched it on TV.
In fact, the average race viewership in the United States on TV has gone from 607,000 in 2020 to 1.21 million in 2022.
With popularity and buzz comes the money from brands. American brands.
According to Spomotion Analytics, F1 is currently at 97 US-based sponsors in 2023, slightly down from 105 last year.
Zoom out five years and the US brand involvement has more than doubled. A 220% increase to be precise.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
The expansion of the US presence
Not everyone believes Drive to Survive is the primary driver of American success. While Mario Andretti has said this recently, he nearly predicted it if we go back to 2012.
Andretti believed Circuit of the Americas was what American fans needed to buy into Formula 1.
Andretti went as far as saying that it “is a world-class facility, a showcase. It competes with the classics in Europe and will provide stability that does not currently exist for Formula 1 in this country”.
Andretti added: “Formula 1 is, in every other country except the United States, the Super Bowl of that country. Here you have much more competition. And we didn’t have a lot of stability here since the Watkins Glen days… they were popular, but they didn’t have longevity.”
F1 has long struggled to gain…
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