Red Bull dominance makes US viewership of Formula One go down as NASCAR and IndyCar rating increases

Red Bull has emerged victorious in all 12 races this Formula One season.

Red Bull dominance makes US viewership of Formula One go down as NASCAR and IndyCar rating increases

Max Verstappen emerging victorious at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix (Image credit: Quora)

The popularity of Formula 1 in the United States has experienced a significant boost, mainly attributed to the Netflix show Drive to Survive. This surge was evident from the enthusiastic crowds at the recent Miami Grand Prix. However, despite the large number of fans present at the event, there has been a noticeable drop in broadcast viewership for the American race compared to the previous year.

The primary reason for the significant decline in viewership can be largely attributed to Red Bull’s dominant performance in this year’s championship. During Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, ESPN recorded only 1.035 million viewers, a noticeable drop from last year’s 1.249 million. However, IndyCar and NASCAR have seen a rise in US viewership.

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Sunday’s NASCAR race at a packed Pocono Raceway saw an impressive performance on the USA Network, garnering a 1.58 rating and attracting 2.808 million viewers. This marks an improvement from the previous year’s race, which obtained a 1.56 rating and 2.590 million viewers. On another positive note, NBC reported an average of 1.121 million viewers (TV and Peacock streaming) for the IndyCar doubleheader at Iowa, showing a remarkable 31% increase compared to last year’s viewership numbers.

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Also read: F1 technical analyst delves into the “revolutionary” RB-19 upgrades as Red Bull prepares to ‘destroy the competition’

F1’s rise in popularity faces challenges amidst Red Bull’s dominant reign

Max Verstappen picking up his 10th win of the season at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix (Image credit: The Japan Times)

Red Bull’s dominance in F1 is evident as they have triumphed in every race of the 2023 season, with only one exception in the past year—George Russell‘s victory in the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix broke their streak of wins starting from the French Grand Prix in late July last year.

This year would mark Red Bull’s third consecutive title-winning season. Notably, for almost a whole year now, there has been hardly any uncertainty regarding which team and driver will emerge victorious on any given race weekend. Setting a new level of predictability in the sport.

This comes at a time when F1’s popularity has soared to unprecedented heights, and it strives to maintain the incredible momentum built over the past few seasons, greatly influenced by the success of the Netflix series “Drive to Survive,” F1’s remarkable comeback after the COVID-19 hiatus, and an intense 2021 title battle.

However, F1 might struggle to sustain such on-track predictability in the long run unless it acknowledges that it could lead to a loss of interest among viewers. Considering the focus on increasing trackside attendance, expanding TV audiences, and overall growth in all aspects, there will likely be a point where stakeholders need to set limits.

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