Formula 1’s U.S. Viewership Has Stalled, But ESPN Is Still All-In

American Formula 1 fans are no stranger to less-than-friendly viewing hours. The global circuit routinely starts races early in the morning and in the middle of the night for U.S. time zones.

That will be the case again this weekend, despite the race taking place on American soil. 

Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix begins at 10 p.m. local time, resulting in a 1 a.m. ET broadcast on ESPN. And after record years in 2021 and 2022, viewership on ESPN platforms in the U.S. is down about 9% this year — with two races left — to an average of 1.1 million viewers.

The U.S. viewership decline could be attributed to Red Bull’s dominance, but the sport has been prone to competitive imbalance — Red Bull or Mercedes have won the constructors and drivers championships every year since 2010. The 2021 battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton for the drivers’ championship was the only competitive fight in recent memory.

ESPN is reportedly paying $85 million annually for the U.S. rights to F1 races and is treating the Vegas GP just like it would a major championship event or league all-star game. ABC’s “Good Morning America” will be live from Las Vegas on Friday morning, while ESPN also has talent in town for various “SportsCenter” duties and pre-race content.

Should ESPN want to renew with F1 beyond 2025, it will likely have plenty of competitors. During the most recent negotiations, Netflix reportedly showed interest in acquiring F1 rights on the heels of its continued success with the “Drive to Survive” docuseries. Amazon and NBC were also among potentially interested parties.