Logan Sargeant is confident that Formula One will take over the US Motorsports market, surpassing NASCAR and IndyCar

Logan Sargeant is certain that F1 will trump NASCAR and IndyCar in popularity in the United States.

Logan Sargeant is confident that Formula One will take over the US Motorsports market, surpassing NASCAR and IndyCar

IndyCar, F1 and NASCAR Via Indystar.com

NASCAR and IndyCar have historically been the premier motorsports series in America. The narrative has certainly changed in the past decade due to the emergence of Formula One as a strong competitor to traditional stock car racing. F1 has consistently lagged behind NASCAR and IndyCar in the past. Nevertheless, the last few years have seen a meteoric rise in the European championship’s popularity in the United States.

America has hosted 51 World Championship Grand Prix since the inception of Formula one, even though the local viewership has been relatively low. This changed in 2019 with the introduction of Netflix’s F1 series ‘Drive to Survive‘. The show introduced Formula One to a vast new audience and built the foundation for a steady rise in viewership and popularity of the sport in America.

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Formula One will be conducting 3 Grand Prix races in America in 2023 and beyond to capitalize on this golden opportunity. Formula One will also have a full-time American driver for the first time in 8 years. F2 graduate Logan Sargeant will join the Williams F1 team for 2023. Sargeant has spent the majority of his career in European championships.

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In an interview during the Williams 2023 team launch, Sargeant talked about the growing popularity of Formula One in his native country. “I think for coming into the sport straight into a year where there are three U.S. Grands Prix is a special opportunity and a privilege at the same time, I think F1 in America is clearly at its peak and it is still on the way up, which is a massive positive. You can see how many questions from friends and family and how curious people are about the sport, it does show how much it is growing in America.” he said.

Related: “I’ll put my money on it,” NASCAR legend Clint Bowyer believes F1 won’t dent stock car racing’s popularity in the United States

Logan Sargeant has big hopes for F1’s future

The Florida native then compared Formula One to the American series NASCAR and IndyCar. “I want to say it seems almost as big as NASCAR and IndyCar, if not bigger, but it’s hard to say without seeing the numbers. But it seems like it’s pretty popular, and that’s a positive.” Notably, NASCAR recorded 2.7 Million recurring viewers per race in 2022, while IndyCar and F1 drew in 1.7 Million and 1.3 Million, respectively. While NASCAR is still well clear of F1 and IndyCar in terms of viewership numbers in America, Formula One has seen a dramatic increase in marketability.

Sargeant went on to acknowledge the recent proliferation of F1’s popularity. “I don’t think back in the day anyone (in the U.S.) really cared or anyone really understood what it was, It’s funny, people text me now and say ‘I realize how big of a thing this could eventually be or how big F1 really was.” he continued. “Obviously there’s a lot of diehard NASCAR and IndyCar fans who don’t always like it, but I think the way the sport’s going in America, if it’s not already, I think it will be the biggest shortly.”

While Sargeant is confident of Formula One’s seemingly imminent take-over, the NASCAR paddock does not share the same opinion. Former NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer recently defended NASCAR’s prospects by stating, “I guarantee you I’ll put my money up against this product versus anything F1 brings to the United States.” It will be interesting to see how Formula One plan to carry on with its upward trajectory in the coming years.

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