How an SEC Showdown in Texas Could Boost F1’s U.S. Viewership

Formula One will return to the grid this week for the Dutch Grand Prix after its nearly monthlong summer break, and the closest championship race of the last three seasons could help fuel an overall U.S. viewership increase after a slight dip last year.

ESPN is averaging 1.19 million viewers per race this season. That’s just below the 1.2 million average audience through this point of the calendar a year ago, but up 7% from the final 2023 race viewership figure of 1.11 million. F1’s season-long U.S. TV record came in 2022, when ESPN averaged 1.21 million viewers per race.

Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen dominated the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but they have seen their leads in the drivers’ and constructors’ standings shrink while earning just one podium since Verstappen’s last victory five races ago in Spain. The Dutchman remains the betting favorite to win the drivers’ title, but McLaren has passed Red Bull in the constructors’ odds.

Down, Set, Start Your Engines

The nine-race closing stretch of F1’s longest season will include three races in North America, highlighted by the second edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. And the long-running U.S. Grand Prix may get a boost from college football’s shifting conference and media landscape.

This year’s race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin falls on the same weekend as Georgia-Texas (currently ranked Nos. 1 and 4, respectively) on Oct. 19, a new matchup in the expanded SEC. In years past, that contest would likely be on CBS as the best SEC game of the week. But ESPN and ABC have taken over those rights.

ESPN is working on potential synergies between the two events, the network’s director of programming and acquisitions, John Suchenski, tells Front Office Sports. Imagine Red Bull boss Christian Horner or Mercedes star driver Lewis Hamilton joining the College GameDay set. Or Pat McAfee strolling the F1 paddock. “It could provide an opportunity that hasn’t existed in the past,” Suchenski says. “And if we can use those two together to cross-promote people between the two, it could bring in an even larger audience than we traditionally see.”

The 882,000 viewers from last year’s U.S. Grand Prix on ABC made up the smallest audience of the three American races. Las Vegas averaged 1.3 million, and Miami had the largest live U.S. F1 audience with 3.1 million.

A Hot Commodity

ESPN’s current F1 deal, believed to be worth at least $75 million annually, expires after the 2025 season. Suchenski says conversations about an extension haven’t started yet, but they should resume at some point between now and next season. 

The network is expecting strong interest from other bidders. “There was [competition] the last time around, and it’s kind of the downside of doing what we do really well and bringing a larger audience to these events and the success we’ve added,” Suchenski says. “Unfortunately, the nature of the business is to create more demand and more competition, but we love our position.”