Guenther Steiner remains unfazed over Formula One’s viewership decline in the US

TV viewership for F1's Miami GP witnessed a 25% decrease.

Haas team principal (Image credit:

TV viewership for the Miami GP dropped by almost 25% from 2022’s fiercely contested Ferrari vs. Red Bull rivalry. The Haas team principal addressed concerns about this dip. Viewership across F1 media is down, compounded by Red Bull’s 2023 supremacy pre-Belgian GP. Max Verstappen‘s pursuit of the consecutive Grand Prix wins record adds intrigue.

Guenther Steiner commented that he believed TV ratings constituted a complex matter. He acknowledged his lack of expertise in this domain, cautioning against taking his statements as definitive. He noted a shift in viewing habits, particularly among the younger demographic, with content being consumed beyond traditional TV channels.

Steiner emphasized the absence of a precise measurement mechanism for this trend. He stated that efforts were underway to rectify this, as the existing approach to gauging viewership remains outdated. While not an authority on TV ratings, Steiner revealed discussions with informed individuals who suggested adopting a more contemporary approach to assessing race viewership.

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“I think TV ratings is one of these things – I’m not an expert on TV ratings and TV, so don’t take my word as the gospel here – but I think there’s a lot of things watched now not on TV, especially young people, and I think there is not a real instrument yet to measure this,” Steiner explained,” Guenther Steiner said according to Racefans.

Also read: Haas team principal Guenther Steiner reveals Nico Hulkenberg’s standout trait

Guenther Steiner claims outdated TV rating methods mask true viewership

Guenther Steiner (Image credit: Reuters)

In the US, the Nielsen Company monitors TV sets of around 25,000 individuals, a fraction of households with TVs. Demographics are considered, allowing nationwide projections. This method revealed a decline of 35,000 viewers for the 2023 opener compared to 2022. This drop is attributed to the predictability of F1 due to Verstappen’s ongoing dominance since 2022.

Guenther Steiner mentioned that efforts were being made in the field. He believed that the actual viewership might be higher than currently understood, as the measurement methods remained outdated, akin to those from two decades ago. While he emphasized not being a TV ratings expert, he revealed conversations with informed individuals who expressed the need for a contemporary approach to gauge race viewership.

⚠️ | Guenther Steiner says F1 could stop growing if new teams join:

"We made good growth last year. It's very stable, we have 10 good teams.

"If you change something, it could go the other way."

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— formularacers (@formularacers_) August 19, 2023

“I think people are working on it, because I think there are more people watching than we actually know, because we still measure TV ratings like we did 20 years ago. As I said, I’m not the guru of TV ratings, but I just spoke with some people who know about stuff and they said they think we need to go to a more current way to measure eyeballs on a race,” Guenther Steiner further continued.