After a lackluster Mexican GP, the Brazilian Grand Prix was thrilling. But with both Championships decided, how were the F1 TV ratings?
George Russell took his maiden victory in Brazil, and lead a Mercedes 1-2 finish for the first time this season. The race wasn’t free from controversy though as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen refused to swap places with teammate Sergio Perez during the final lap of the race. This move could end up costing Red Bull a 1-2 finish in the World Drivers Championship depending on how the final race plays out next weekend.
ESPN saw a massive boost in viewership up 69% from last season. This could be seen as a shock because both the championships have been locked up in Red Bull’s hands before the weekend. So it could seem to the casual viewer that there is no need to watch the races anymore. However, F1 delivered in Sao Paulo. A surprising pole for Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. A Saturday Sprint Race rather than a practice session, that fed into another thrilling race at Interlagos. Can F1 close out the 2022 season on a high as the series returns to Abu Dhabi?
F1 TV Ratings
| Race | TV Rating | Audience | 2021 Rating | 2021 Audience | Difference |
| Belgian GP | 0.57 | 1.045 M | 0.39 | 637 K | 64% |
| Dutch GP | 0.62 | 1.148 M | 0.53 | 870 K | 32% |
| Italian GP | 0.53 | 0.995 K | 0.53 | 880 K | 31% |
| Singapore GP | 0.54 | 1.036 M | 0.37 | 574 K (2019) | 80% |
| Japan GP | 0.28 | .549 K | 0.5 | 756 K (2019) | -27% |
| US GP | 0.64 | 1.113 M | 0.72 | 1.225 M | -9% |
| Mexican GP | 0.55 | 1.029 M | 0.59 | 968 K | 6% |
| Brazilian GP | n/a | 1.4 M | 0.44 | 831 K | 69% |
| Totals/Avg | 0.531 | 1.039 M | 0.51 | 839 K | 31% |
Note: the data for the table can be found here, Brazilian GP rating is listed as n/a because the data could not be found when writing this article.
Formula 1 fans tuned in for the #BrazilianGP on @ABCNetwork
🏁 1.4M avg. viewers, largest live Brazilian GP audience on record
🏁 Up 69% over '21 race on ESPN2 (831K)
🏁 3rd-largest #F1 U.S. TV audience of '22@F1 season finale: #AbuDhabiGP
Sunday | 7:55a ET | ESPN2, @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/2XfLjD2ave— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) November 15, 2022
Is there still room to grow?
As F1 continues to grow across America, it has to be asked, is there still room to continue this monstrous growth that F1 has seen in America in recent years? To put it quite simply, yes. There are still many in the States that see F1 as inferior motorsports. NASCAR continues to dominate the TV ratings battle within the US. NASCAR has always had what could be considered a monopoly of American Motorsport viewership, and for some time the only real competitor was IndyCar. Though IndyCar could only reach NASCAR levels of interest during the Indianapolis 500 weekend.
While viewership has grown in America over the recent years for F1, the signs point to no slowing down. There is the potential addition of American Logan Sargent to the F1 grid, the debut of the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, and the possible addition of Andretti Motorsport into the series in the future.
