F1’s American revolution – how the series finally cracked the USA

“Over the previous 5 years, now we have carried out a really focused technique to carry Components 1 ever nearer to the American followers,” F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali advised Autosport when discussing the expansion within the USA.

Has the technique been profitable? Effectively, if Shakira had been a mathematician, there isn’t any doubt she would have agreed that the numbers don’t lie as a result of, to eek extra out of the strangled musical metaphor, F1 has damaged into America very like The Beatles managed within the Sixties.

Its personal figures recommend there at the moment are 52 million F1 followers in America, a rise of greater than 10% from 2024, whereas half of these supporters have adopted the sequence within the final 5 years.

Viewership can be up; ESPN may not stay the house of F1 within the USA for for much longer, however its reside race viewers has doubled since 2018 and up to now this 12 months there was a noticeable enhance in viewers for the opening 5 rounds of the championship.

“F1 has by no means been stronger globally, and the expansion in the USA has been one of many foremost drivers of our growth in recent times,” Domenicali identified.

“Over the previous 5 years, now we have carried out a really focused technique to carry Components 1 ever nearer to the American followers – not solely throughout race weekends, however all year long, by content material, occasions and new engagement platforms.

“The main target is on persevering with to provide our followers what they need in a kind they wish to devour it.

“We should keep in mind that whereas we’re a sport now we have grown in attain and supply, and we’re not solely competing with different sports activities however types of leisure.

“This can be a vastly aggressive house the place completely different age teams act in several methods and anticipate alternative routes to interact with manufacturers and leisure.

“Holding F1 related all 12 months is important. This 12 months we are going to see the F1 film launched, which can be an enormous second for our sport as we attain new followers globally and could have a huge impact within the US.

“We now have new partnerships developing that can additional ingrain our model with the US shopper, and naturally now we have Cadillac, an iconic US model, becoming a member of the grid from 2026. We now have to be culturally related within the US, and that’s on the coronary heart of our technique.”

It’s a technique that additionally consists of the ten present groups on the grid, and Aston Martin managing director of business and advertising and marketing Jefferson Slack has a novel perception into how F1 fandom has developed within the USA in recent times, having additionally seen the darkish days of Indianapolis 2005 when 14 Michelin drivers didn’t begin the race, for security causes.

“Firstly, the game has, shall we embrace, cracked the US market. I am American, and after I was younger, Components 1 simply wasn’t a part of our world,” he advised Autosport.

The beginning of the race with solely six automobiles

Photograph by: Steve Swope / Motorsport Photographs

“Bernie [Ecclestone] tried to do just a few issues, and I am going to always remember watching the race at Indy when, what’s it, 14 automobiles pulled off, and identical to: ‘Okay, this isn’t going to drag within the American sports activities shopper who has entry to the very best on the planet, each domestically and internationally’.”

So what, in Slack’s thoughts, ultimately turned the tide in America? Plainly Netflix, the potential future residence of F1 Stateside, performed an enormous half.

“Have a look at the entire Drive to Survive impact, which I believe has had a world affect however is particularly essential in the USA – and while you have a look at the demographics, the game has gotten youthful, it is gotten extra in style,” he mentioned.

“I’ve conferences on a regular basis with guys like me, and I ask in the event that they like Components 1? And an American man will say: ‘No, I do not actually comply with it, however my college-age daughter loves the game, so we watch it collectively’.”

Domenicali touched on Cadillac’s impending arrival and the F1 film, launched in June, with Slack highlighting Drive to Survive, which has been renewed for season eight. John Rowady, founder and CEO of US-based sports activities advertising and marketing company rEvolution, believes the three issues are intrinsically linked to F1 discovering a house in the USA.

“It is a wonderful sign that F1 has develop into part of the American sports activities cloth, and it’s right here to remain,” he advised Autosport.

“It’s the solely actually international ‘tremendous league’ providing fandom from anyplace with out having to displace it from stick and ball sports activities. American sports activities followers gravitate in the direction of authenticity – now that the game has re-entered the American market and zeitgeist in an genuine and significant means, followers are connecting, exploring and fascinating.”

Excited followers fill a grandstand

Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photographs

The mannequin put in place by F1, which in fact consists of three grands prix a season with Austin and Las Vegas on the calendar alongside Miami, attracts American manufacturers in addition to followers.

“We’re a expertise enterprise. We win or lose primarily based on our expertise. So you set these two issues collectively, you say to an organization: ‘Hey, pay attention, you need a international platform… there’s nothing prefer it,” provides Slack.

“Now it is as much as us to take good benefit of that but additionally make sure that we do the fitting issues on fan engagement and different issues to maintain individuals . However at the least for the preliminary half, it has been extraordinarily profitable.

“There’s the macroeconomic points occurring on the planet immediately, so I do not understand how that can have an effect on. It isn’t going to be useful. However placing that apart, the game simply continues to develop in that house, and if you happen to have a look at the highest 100 tech firms, I’d say 50 to 75 are within the sport. You are not going to seek out that in every other international platform.”

American manufacturers specifically have seemed to profit from F1’s increase of their residence nation by partnering up with groups or the championship itself, with extra of them than ever now onboard up and down the pitlane.

“Since 2018, the variety of American-based companions has greater than doubled,” Bjorn Stenbacka of Spomotion Analytics defined to Autosport.

“In 2024, it reached an all-time excessive with 115 and that has been matched in 2025. With new partnerships anticipated to be introduced forward of the upcoming races within the US, it is possible that 2025 will set a brand new document.

“Nevertheless, the speedy progress seen in recent times seems to be slowing, suggesting the variety of U.S. companions is starting to stabilise at this elevated degree.

“To see the attain of American manufacturers, Ferrari is a superb instance. Italy has been the primary nation on its partnership listing, in all probability for the reason that begin. However final 12 months US handed Italy – a historic swap – and this 12 months, up to now Italy and US are equal.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs

The outdated adage of ‘construct it and they’re going to come’ might be utilized to US fandom, and subsequent brand-rush, in F1 whereas additionally being true in relation to the literal bricks and mortar used to create a full-time Las Vegas residency alongside the yearly grand prix.

“This dynamism has made Components 1 much more engaging for American industrial companions, who see in our sport not solely a direct reference to an more and more giant and various viewers, but additionally a privileged entry to a novel international community, with 24 races in 21 international locations. A chance that, within the international sports activities panorama, is unparalleled,” added Domenicali.

As Stenbacka suggests, there was a partnership plateau in relation to US manufacturers coming into F1 as the expansion in that sector at the least begins to gradual.

So simply how far can F1 proceed to develop in America, particularly when it’s now trying to compete with the most important established sporting leagues such because the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL in addition to faculty sport and different race sequence?

“It isn’t one or the opposite,” Slack mentioned on the topic. “The NFL is the very best sports activities enterprise mannequin ever created, however it is extremely, very U.S-led, whereas what we’re tapping into is a world platform – and as nice because the NFL is, it’s not a world platform.

“Components 1 reaches nearly each essential market on the planet. Not one of the U.S. sports activities try this. So it is only a completely completely different factor. Three races (within the US) appears to me ample to me but it surely’s 25% of the world economic system, so you might clearly have one other race from an financial standpoint.”

Whereas Domenicali spoke of a “very focused technique” he additionally insisted F1 was conscious of the legacies behind the main US sports activities.

“We should be respectful of extremely established US sports activities,” he mentioned. “Firstly, now we have 24 occasions in a single 12 months, and different sports activities have a number of occasions and video games each week, so the supply is completely different.

“Our goal is to proceed our progress, constructing on our passionate fanbase and incredible industrial partnerships, and I’m bold in what we will obtain.

“The final 5 years have proven what is feasible, and as a sport I consider we will attain locations culturally that different sports activities can’t and that we provide a world proposition, commercially, that’s distinctive. We love racing within the US, the followers have unimaginable ardour, and we’re solely simply getting began.”

Rowady, in the meantime, pinpointed the place F1 continues to be discovering shortcomings when in comparison with these lengthy since established American sporting manufacturers.

“Direct comparability to legacy US sports activities leagues the place groups are grounded in communities and native traditions inadvertently diminishes analysing the incredible outcomes F1 is having within the US,” he mentioned.

“I discover the true story for F1’s progress trajectory is within the demographic seize. In comparison with the massive 4 leagues, F1 boasts a youthful fanbase and is especially profitable in attracting 16-24-year-olds, lots of them females.

“Within the U.S., the common F1 fan is between 32 and 35 years outdated, notably youthful than the NFL (common age 50), NBA (42), MLB (57), and NHL (49). F1 doesn’t must chase the 40–50-year-old demographic — it’s already cultivating Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the longer term leaders and shoppers in America. The longer term lies with them.

McLaren and Pink Bull followers have a good time in a grandstand

Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs

“Moreover, with extra American firms getting concerned by sponsorship and industrial growth, that brings with it the American financial engine for progress. F1’s start-and-stop US engagement phenomenon pre-2018 is over.

“Nevertheless, F1 continues to face boundaries in what we name fan monetisation in comparison with what US sports activities leagues are capable of supply. Licensed merchandise and leisure expertise [i.e. multiple F1 touchpoints for fan engagement] stay both tough to entry, non-existent and/or priced at a premium.

“Whereas F1’s “way of life” model is extremely aspirational in our tradition, it typically feels unapproachable for the broader public, making it a hurdle to construct the identical mass viewers scale seen in different main U.S. sports activities leagues.”