Formula 1 attracted the biggest American television audience in history of the sport during Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.
Some 3.1million people tuned in to watch McLaren’s Lando Norris clinch his maiden F1 victory over reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, on ABC.
Viewership was up 48 per cent on last year’s race – suggesting the sport has well and truly captured the American imagination following the success of Netflix‘s docuseries ‘Drive to Survive.’
Viewership peaked at 3.6m during the 57-lap race around the Miami International Autodrome, with an average of 1.3m viewers between 18 and 49 years old.
Earlier in the week, 946,000 viewers tuned into ESPN to watch the F1 Sprint, making it the largest audience for a Sprint race since the format was introduced in 2021.
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More than 3million Americans tuned in to watch Lando Norris clinch his first Formula 1 win
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Viewership peaked at 3.6m during the 57-lap race around the Miami International Autodrome
The previous TV record was set during the inaugural Miami Grand Prix in 2022, when 2.6m people tuned in to watch Verstappen storm to victory.
The Red Bull ace has been dominating the sport for the past two seasons, making 24-year-old Norris’ victory a much-needed shot in the arm for F1.
Donald Trump, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Kendall Jenner were just a few of the famous faces who made appearances at Hard Rock Stadium throughout the weekend.
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Donald Trump was among the first people to congratulate Norris after his maiden win
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Other stars were on hand throughout the weekend, including Patrick and Brittany Mahomes
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Kendall Jenner also spent time at Hard Rock Stadium, where she visited F1 Academy drivers
The former US president was the center of attention before the race started, meeting with McLaren CEO Zak Brown and inspecting the team’s cars in their garage.
Trump even took to social media after the race, making it clear he wanted some credit for the team’s success.
‘It was a great honor to see my friends at McLaren win the big Miami Formula 1 race,’ he wrote on X.
‘It was the car I visited before the race, and Endorsed—that’s what we need for our Country—WINNING!’ the presumptive Republican candidate added.
