By Will Saunders, VP @MKTG

Formula One has been one of global sport’s most studied success stories over the past seven years of Liberty Media’s stewardship.

The well-established narrative is that Drive to Survive attracted a new generation of global fans to the sport, leading to unprecedented growth in US viewership and engagement. The truth however is a little more nuanced, with US TV ratings plateauing at just over a million viewers per race and Nielsen reporting that Drive to Survive only inspired 2.3% more American viewers to watch F1 content.

So how has F1 developed and retained such outsized cultural cachet in the US, what’s driving the US brand gold rush into it, and what are some of the factors beyond the small screen that continue to foster growth and interest?

From Sport to Lifestyle Brand

Building on Drive to Survive’s status as a crossover sports meets entertainment format, Formula One has doubled down on diversifying its offerings for the US audience.

Formula One Arcade, a pioneering F1-themed entertainment and sim racing experience, opened its doors in Boston earlier this year, with further venues set to open in Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas within the next 12 months.

Hollywood has also got in on the act, with F1, the upcoming Apple Studios film starring Brad Pitt, leveraging its collaboration with the league to film at races across the globe over the past two seasons. Financed in the US and with American movie royalty integrated at every level of the production, this is a project that’s designed to extend F1’s reach beyond sports fans and make a lasting cultural impact.

Celebrities from across the worlds of sports and entertainment, including Ryan Reynolds, Rory McIlroy, and Michael B Jordan invested over $200 million in the Alpine team in 2023, with crossover promotions such as the team’s custom Deadpool & Wolverine livery at this year’s Belgian Grand Prix highlighting the blending of F1 and popular culture.   

Underpinning these new touchpoints, an emerging wave of US-based F1 influencers, pundits, and commentators have captured the uniquely curious and nascent nature of American fandom. Names like Mikaela Kostaras (@shelovesvrooms), the Red Flags Podcast (TheRedFlagsPod), and F1 Reverse (@F1REVERSE) keep conversation flowing long after the chequered flag drops, and have helped amplify the organic YOY growth seen across F1’s own channels in the US.

These opportunities speak to a broad range of fan demographics and marketing channels, and each play a distinct role helping to ensure that F1’s relevance is a multichannel dialogue that reflects the always-on nature of contemporary fandom rather than being solely contingent on TV viewership.

Driving Attendance at the Track

Of course, the purpose of the entire media ecosystem is to raise the profile of and drive attendance at the races themselves.

The US stands alone as the only country on the calendar that hosts three races, with the Las Vegas (est. 2023) and Miami (2022) Grands Prix joining the traditional United States Grand Prix (2012) in Austin in recent years. Each race also has a secure future, with Austin guaranteed through 2026 and Miami and Vegas signing 10-year contracts after their inaugural events.

This delivers unrivaled opportunities for fans to attend a race, with each US event offering a distinct fan profile, pricing, entertainment, and reflection of its host city’s culture.

As the longest-tenured race, Austin has the largest sample size of data, with attendance jumping from 263,000 across the race weekend in 2018 to a record 440,000 in 2022. Miami has sold out all three years of the event with 276,000 fans attending this year, while the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix drew 315,000 fans – and a reported $1.2B in economic impact for the city.

The US races have also become the epicenter of global talent engagement in the sport, with F1 now the hottest invite in town. In Miami alone this year, Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner, A$AP Rocky, Ed Sheeran, and Patrick Mahomes were just a few of the names on the grid – representing a diverse pool of talent from across culture helping to amplify the scale and spectacle of the race.

With capacity for 1M+ fans across three races every year, the US has established itself as the world’s leading destination for experiencing F1 at track – capturing the post-pandemic trend for placing a higher premium on IRL experiences when it comes to cultivating and retaining fandom. 

Commercial Growth

The growth in cultural relevance has also coincided with a significant uptick in F1’s commercial revenue in the US.

Per SponsorUnited, “one of the lesser-known stories is the sport’s remarkable surge in partnerships with US brands, which currently comprise more than 45% of F1 partnerships (league and team). In the Liberty Media era, the number of US brands sponsoring the sport has more than doubled, to over 110 in 2023.”

Due to the multiple ways-in for brands looking to get involved with F1 across league, race, team, and driver partnerships, and with F1 and the teams increasingly selling inventory on a regional basis, the sport offers an unmatched canvas for sponsors.

There’s also a powerful snowball effect happening in F1 sponsorship globally, with the league announcing global deals with Lego, Santander, and, most strikingly, LVMH (for a reported $1 billion) in the past month alone. As more brands join the fray and start to unlock the marketing power of the sport, so more will be inspired to jump in.

For US brands with a global outlook, F1 affords a unique, always-on global marketing tool that hosts events in and can be activated on a regional and key market basis – delivering a distinct offering compared to cyclical global properties or seasonal domestic leagues.

While Drive to Survive has been a lightning rod for increased awareness in F1 that extends far beyond its actual viewership or the number of fans tuning into races, it’s far from the only factor sustaining F1’s fire in the US. Taking a holistic view beyond TV ratings, the complimentary convergence of cultural and commercial considerations, amplified on a triennial basis by three of the largest sporting events in the US by daily attendance, ensures that F1 continues to deliver consistent cut-through in its primary target growth market.