American F1 Viewership Drops For 2023 Season Opener
American viewership figures have been revealed for the Bahrain Grand Prix and there has been a drop compared to the season-opener in 2022, despite the rapid growth of the sport in the US.
In the world of motorsports, television viewership plays a crucial role in measuring the popularity of a particular race or series. Recently, American viewership figures have been released for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, and unfortunately for Formula 1, the numbers are not going up. According to reports, the F1 opener on Sunday, broadcasted by ESPN, drew 1.318 million viewers, down slightly from 1.353 million last year.
Mercedes F1 Press Image - Austin GP
Twitter user Adam Stern posted the figures, writing:
"Fox TV got 3.991 million viewers for Sunday's NASCAR race, down from 4.544 million last year.
"ESPN got 1.318 million for Sunday's F1 opener, down slightly from 1.353 million last year.
"NBC got 1.189 million for Sunday's IndyCar opener, down from 1.405M last year."
Compared to other major motorsports events held on the same day, the F1 opener fell short. Fox TV's NASCAR race, for example, brought in 3.991 million viewers, although that figure was down from 4.544 million last year. Meanwhile, NBC's broadcast of the IndyCar opener attracted 1.189 million viewers, down from 1.405 million in 2022.
The decline in viewership for F1 in the United States is a cause for concern for the sport. Overall, the popularity of F1 has been rapidly increasing in America, with Netflix's Drive to Survive, the introduction of three races in the US with Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas, and American driver Logan Sargeant joining the grid.
The next important F1 date is 17-19 March for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.