F1 2024 viewership falls 3% on ESPN in the US

• ESPN figures exclude São Paulo Grand Prix from final average
• 12 races saw YoY viewership increases
• Overall viewership has essentially doubled from 2018 average of 554k

Viewership for the 2024 Formula One season has fallen three per cent year-over-year (YoY) on ESPN in the US.

An average of 1.13 million viewers watched races, compared to 1.16 million in 2023. Neither figure matched the 2022 season, which averaged 1.19 million viewers.

The official figures from ESPN claim the 2024 season matched 2023, but the broadcaster has elected to exclude the São Paulo Grand Prix from its end-of-season statistics as the scheduling for the race was wrecked by rain.

In total, the 2024 season reached almost 30 million viewers on ESPN’s platforms after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix averaged an audience of just over one million.

The season was marked by multiple viewership records, including the Miami Grand Prix averaging 3.1 million viewers on ABC, which was the most-watched Formula One race of all time in the US.

There were a further six viewership records in 2024, which were set for the races in Monaco, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Overall, 12 races saw YoY viewership increases.

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It has been a year of two halves for Formula One. There was perhaps some fatigue among viewers as Max Verstappen continued his dominance of the sport.

The US market experienced a tough start, only breaking one million viewers twice in the first seven Grands Prix. An important caveat is that the scheduling also didn’t help these races, with Australia, China and Japan all taking place in the early hours of the morning in the US. Plus, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia events were moved from Sunday to Saturday due to the timing of Ramadan.

In that run of races, Miami broke the US viewership record. The Grand Prix was won by McLaren’s Lando Norris and spelled the end of the predictable rhythm of Formula One as the Brit mounted a title challenge.

From Monaco onwards, which covered a span of 17 races, only four races dropped below one million viewers, emphasising the strong finish to the season. However, three of those were in the final four races of the year.

It is also worth noting that, despite stagnating viewership in the last couple of years, average viewership has essentially doubled from the 554,000 viewers that watched the 2018 season.

Formula One's average viewership record in the US (1.19 million in 2022) also came the year after one of the greatest seasons in the series' history. With 2024 producing one of the most competitive campaigns in years, ESPN can carry optimism into 2025.