The Miami GP surpassed all expectations, providing a shock race winner plenty of F1 news headlines – thus hitting record viewership figures in the US.
Over the last few years, F1 has significantly stepped up its presence in America. There are now three races on the calendar, with Miami and Las Vegas representing the latest additions. Generally speaking, these circuits have received criticism for their layouts. However, the inaugural race in Vegas – and the most recent Grand Prix in Miami – have produced plenty of highlights.
Indeed, last weekend was perhaps the most exciting F1 race of 2024 so far. Lando Norris secured his first win in the sport and the first for McLaren in almost three seasons. The prospect of Ferrari and the Woking-based team regularly challenging Red Bull and Verstappen is undoubtedly an exciting one.
After Red Bull’s dominance last year, there were fears they would remain unchallenged. Thankfully, at least from the neutral perspective, this year’s campaign is already proving more unpredictable.
For Liberty Media and FOM (Formula One Management), there was perhaps no better event for McLaren to reassert themselves at the front. A combination of factors saw the Miami GP hit record viewership numbers last weekend.
F1 hits record TV viewership in America
According to ESPN data, the Sunday Grand Prix’s ABC broadcast reached 3.1 million viewers, comfortably making it the most-viewed F1 race in American history.
.@ABCNetwork got 3.1 million viewers for the race portion of Sunday’s @F1Miami race, per ESPN, becoming the most-watched @F1 grand prix in U.S. history.
🔲 The race got an @NBA Game 7 lead in from Magic-Cavs. pic.twitter.com/f3DsIGwQmm
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) May 7, 2024
For reference, the final game in the NBA Series between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers was less watched. As F1 works to assert itself further in the United States, these are all very positive developments.
It must be emphasised that certain conditions helped paint this positive picture. The first, and surely most important, was that a generally exciting race created the variety that makes F1 most enthralling.
Moreover, the race was easily accessible to American viewers. Aside from exciting on-track action, removing barriers is another essential element of boosting viewership in any sport.
Unsurprisingly, viewing figures are higher when Grand Prix are free to watch or, more broadly, easy to access.
Moving forward, FOM will hope to build on this momentum and generate more positive F1 news headlines.
