Miami GP smashes US viewership records as F1's popularity soars

US viewership peaks in Miami

Formula 1's efforts to expand its American audience reached new heights at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.

ABC's broadcast of the race, which saw Lando Norris claim his maiden F1 victory, averaged a staggering 3.1 million viewers - obliterating the previous US viewership record.

The inaugural 2022 Miami event had held the prior record with 2.6 million viewers.

This year's race viewership marked an impressive 48% increase over the 2.1 million who tuned in for the 2023 edition.

Sprint race also sets new mark

The continued popularity of F1's sprint race format also contributed to Miami's stellar viewership numbers.

Saturday's sprint event on ESPN attracted 946,000 US viewers, establishing a new American audience record for the condensed race.

Official qualifying likewise saw strong interest, with 625,000 watching on Saturday as drivers battled for grid positions.

Signs of surging American interest

The sky-high Miami viewership caps an up-and-down start to the 2024 US television season for F1's broadcast partners.

While the Bahrain season-opener (1.12m) and Saudi Arabian GP (920k) experienced year-over-year declines, factors like broadcast channels and timings impacted those numbers.

The Chinese GP's 626,000 viewers in an unfavorable early morning timeslot was a significant improvement over the last Shanghai race in 2019.

However, Miami's audience spike, coupled with the sell-out 270,000 crowd in attendance, provides the clearest evidence yet of America's swelling interest in Grand Prix racing.

As Daniel Ricciardo described,

"It feels like, and I'm not trying to say it's Super Bowl, but Super Bowl week. It's like a whole week of things..."

"We had a really good crowd, a lot of young people I feel, and a lot of new audience coming in. So, it's good to grow the sport for sure."

Capitalizing on America's embrace

For Formula 1 and its commercial rights holders, the challenge now becomes sustaining this newfound American popularity.

Three races across Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas give the sport a strong US foothold.

But continually engaging fans between events, creating interactive experiences, and broadening media coverage will be key to ensuring this viewership boon represents a true long-term changing of the tide for F1's American popularity.

The Miami success at least provides encouraging validation that Formula 1's stateside growth aspirations are very much on the right track.