US viewership: Most-watched British Grand Prix ever

Last weekend saw the most-watched British Grand Prix ever as Formula One continues its viewership surge in the US.

Confirmed:

• An average of 1.29 million viewers on ESPN2 watched Lewis Hamilton end a near three-year wait for victory
• In Nascar, 3.87 million tuned in on NBC for the second Chicago Street Race, down from 4.63 million in 2023
• The dawn of the hybrid era in IndyCar saw the highest non-Indy 500 viewership of the season, with 1.25 million on NBC

Context:

Formula One’s strong season continues in the US as five races in a row have now averaged over one million viewers. The figure for this year’s British Grand Prix represents a ten per cent increase on the race in 2023, which averaged 1.17 million viewers. The Grand Prix was also on ESPN2, making it the first race of the season to average over one million viewers on the channel.

Nascar had to contend with rain delays for the Chicago Street Race, so a 16 per cent drop in viewership is respectable in that context. It shows that the appetite remains for the event and that the series was right to pursue new types of races.

While Scott Dixon won’t be the biggest fan of the new hybrid engines after his malfunctioned on the warmup lap, IndyCar will be happy as it saw its largest audience this season outside of the Indianapolis 500. Viewership peaked at 1.6 million, while the average was a 69 per cent increase on last year’s race.

Coming next:

Nascar returns this weekend at Pocono Raceway on 14th July, while IndyCar has a doubleheader event at Iowa Speedway on 13th and 14th July. Formula One has the weekend off before the Hungarian Grand Prix from 19th to 21st July.