Growing F1 popularity in the USA averts threats from other sports | Sporting News

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has confirmed that the sport has gained significant popularity in the United States of America, successfully managing to avert threats from sports that its fan base follows. The efforts to seal an F1 stronghold in America began in 2012 after the debut of the United States Grand Prix in Austin on the F1 calendar. 

Over time, especially after Liberty Media’s takeover of Formula 1 in 2017, the sport steadily gained traction in the United States. A major catalyst for its growing popularity was the launch of Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries in 2019. The show provided an exclusive look behind the scenes, revealing the intense politics, rivalries, and drama that unfold throughout an F1 season, capturing the interest of a broader American audience.

Three years later, in 2022, the Miami Grand Prix secured a spot in the sport’s calendar, followed by the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, where F1 cars raced through the strip in a street race at night, marking the best marriage of entertainment and racing. 

Despite a decline in Formula 1 viewership and social media engagement in 2023, largely due to Red Bull‘s overwhelming dominance, winning 21 out of 22 Grands Prix, the overall response indicates that the sport has firmly established itself among American fans. It no longer faces significant competition from other sports that could divert its audience. Speaking to BBC Sport, Domenicali said:

“It’s really fascinating, because just a couple of years [ago], we were struggling to have one race.

“Then, in the blink of an eye, we moved from one to three races, and the attention is growing dramatically.

“Our audience are watching movies, they’re watching events, so we are one of them. So we need to think big.

“We are not anymore believing to be competing with other sports with four wheels.

“So that’s really what is our push, to make sure that we understand that, if you want to compete in a market that is full of different offers, we need to be strong.

“I want to make sure that F1 is a very inclusive platform, loved all around the world, where people have fun and enjoy being part of it, making sure that, while we compete on the track, there is always respect.

“The beauty of the sporting challenge in the way that the world can learn from us how to behave.”

Revealing how the premier class of motorsport would look like in ten years, the F1 CEO added:

“It will be still a great platform of entertainment, of great technological challenges, a place where you have people gathering together and on the track fighting in the right context.

“We are a very successful sporting and entertainment club.

“In 10 years time, we need to be in a place where the sport is still at the centre.

“We are a platform of engagement, we need to engage with people who are super fans and people who do not have a clue on what Formula 1 is.

“We need to communicate with people, not only the narrative, but also the tools of communication. It’s changing quite rapidly, but we are creating a lot of jobs, and a lot of interesting opportunities for the community we are in.

“If I mix up all these things, and I do a good shape, I would say Formula 1 will be in a great spot in the future because we are listening. We want to involve people.

“We are already embracing technological opportunities that we believe are right.

“We have taken big action on sustainability, and we love what we are doing.”