Menu
This past weekend, NASCAR and Formula One went up against each other in the same TV window for the first time this season. One was on cable while the other was on network, and one set a viewership record. Which sport came out on top?
This weekend, the Formula One Miami Grand Prix was the most-watched Formula One Grand Prix in the U.S. according to ESPN. As Adam Stern mentions in the tweet below, Formula One got 3.1 Million viewers during the race on Sunday. According to Sports Pro Media, that was up 58.2% from 1.96 million viewers in 2023 on the same channel.
NASCAR, on the other hand, was dealing with a weather delay as the F1 race was going on. NASCAR was also on cable TV while Formula One was on network TV. Despite this, NASCAR pulled in 2.296 million viewers, only a 2% drop-off from the 2023 race at Kansas.
Overall, it’s hard to compare these two races directly since NASCAR didn’t run their race at the scheduled time. Could Formula One have received a small bump from NASCAR being delayed? That’s possible, but, it cannot be proven.
We compare the ratings from this weekend to the rest of the season. From NASCAR’s perspective, they look much more promising.
Compared to F1’s race at Miami, NASCAR has pulled in more viewers for every one of the races on network TV so far this season. This includes the postponed Daytona 500 and a rain-delayed race at Richmond on Easter. This season, the lowest-viewed NASCAR race on network TV currently is a tie between COTA and Richmond at 3.310 Million viewers, which is 200,000 viewers more than F1 at Miami this past weekend.
NASCAR’s race at Kansas was also comparable to NASCAR cable TV ratings this season. Kansas ranks 3rd out of 6 cable TV NASCAR Cup Series events this season and 3rd out of 4 regular season races. The overall viewership was also almost the same as the average regular season cable viewership of NASCAR this season (2.297 Million). For a rain-delayed race, Kansas did quite well for itself, compared to NASCAR standards.
Formula One, on the other hand, is much tougher to analyze. Many races happen at odd times either early in the morning, late at night, or overnight. As a result, there’s no direct comparison for F1 in the U.S. this season, at least so far.
However, F1 TV ratings in the U.S. have generally been on a decline. According to Front Office Sports, Formula One ratings were down 8% in the U.S. in 2023 compared to 2022. F1’s 2nd race of the season in Saudi Arabia, which happened on a Saturday at Noon ET, saw a 40% dip in viewership according to Sports Pro Media.
Compare that to NASCAR, where 9 of 14 events so far this season have seen an increase in year-to-year TV viewership. Of the 5 events that dropped, 3 of them dealt with weather issues (Clash, Daytona 500, and Kansas).
F1’s weekend spike was an anomaly, while NASCAR’s spikes in viewership have been more consistent. It’s still early in the season, so, the narrative can change.
Overall, F1 won the weekend, and there is no getting around that. However, the whole picture is not quite as pretty for F1.
