Formula 1 has emerged as one of most popular sports to watch in America over the past year, and many Americans are now tuning in on Sundays for races.
The United States has two other racing competitions, NASCAR and IndyCar, yet most Americans are choosing to watch F1. The release of the Netflix show “Drive to Survive,” in preparation to release its sixth season, has definitely brought a lot of attention to the sport.
Formula 1 was founded officially in 1946. It is an international motorsport competition consisting of 10 teams and 23 Grand Prix. Each team has two drivers, with drivers and teams competing for points at each Grand Prix in hopes of winning the World Championship (individual) or the Constructors Championship (team). Teams travel to 34 different countries over the course of the season for Grand Prix.
According to a report conducted by Nielsen, a global information and data firm, F1 popularity has increased exponentially.
“Nearly 16 million people watched at least part of the F1 content between Nov. 19, 2021, and Dec. 12, 2021,” Nielson said. “This includes all seasons of ‘Drive to Survive’ between Dec. 13, 2021, and March 17, 2022, and F1 auto racing events between March 18 to April 10, 2022.”
Of those 16 million, 87.7 % watched the last three race weekends of 2021 F1 programming, highlighting that the Netflix series generated more than 360,000 new fans of F1 ahead of the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, which began May 13.
Fan interest in F1 racing has increased from 44.9 million in 2019, to 49.2 million this year — much of it due to the Netflix show, according to Nielsen.
Max Verstappen, a Dutch driver for Red Bull and the 2021 and 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Champion, is expected to earn $55 Million in 2023. Seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, from the U.K., earns an estimated $35 million per year. Lando Norris, a promising young British driver for McLaren, earns around $20 million per year.
Joe Zhou, a senior from Weston, Mass., who finished third in the 2022 Chinese U18 National Karting Championship, said F1 is a much more mainstream interest in China.
“People in China would watch F1 together or go to racing simulators, although it wasn’t as popular as now,” Joe said. “Since Guanyu Zhou became a driver for Alfa Romeo, the popularity in China has increased to a great extent.”
Joe is happy the sport is gaining worldwide popularity.
“I love to see all those excellent overtakes and battles between drivers (even though they are rare),” he said. “Another thing that I love about F1, or motorsports in general, is uncertainty. You never know what will happen before you cross the finish line. The 2020 and 2021 seasons are my favorite because of how competitive they were.”
Eddie Howell, a senior from Zurich, Switzerland, said F1 races are a regular gathering time for his family.
“I started watching F1 during Covid with my sister and dad,” he said. “It became a family activity we did together every weekend, that we all looked forward to.”
In Hong Kong and Switzerland, many people get together at bars and restaurants to watch the weekend races, Eddie added.
Katya Krasnovskaya, a senior from Moscow, also loves the unpredictability of Formula 1.
“I love Formula 1 because it’s a very unpredictable and exciting sport for the most part,” Katya said. “When you start following it closely, it becomes extremely entertaining and even nerve-racking at times.”