Formula 1’s American expansion strategy should focus primarily on boosting television viewership numbers, according to McLaren team principal Zak Brown, speaking at a motorsports business conference in Miami this week.
While the racing series has experienced tremendous growth in the United States recently – driven by Netflix’s popular ‘Drive to Survive’ documentary series, three domestic race events, and Apple’s upcoming Brad Pitt F1 film – television ratings remain modest compared to established American sports leagues.
Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange event held at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Brown addressed what he sees as the sport’s primary growth opportunity going forward.
“I think it’s going to be TV ratings,” Brown explained when discussing potential expansion paths.
The American executive expressed satisfaction with the current three U.S. Grand Prix events, though he acknowledged room for more. “I think we’ve got three fantastic grands prix and while I think we could definitely support four and five, that would come at the cost of other markets that I think we need to get into,” he stated.
“So I’m happy where we are, because I do think there’s some other growth areas in South Africa, Korea, things of that nature,” Brown continued. “I think TV ratings are still relatively small compared to the NFLs of the world. I think that’s the biggest area of growth, getting the TV ratings up.”
This season marks a significant broadcasting shift, with Apple TV replacing ESPN as Formula 1’s exclusive American television partner. The streaming service now provides live coverage of all 24 race weekends and offers expanded mobile and app accessibility.
Recent fan demographic data reveals encouraging trends for the sport’s American future. According to the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey, nearly half of new U.S. Formula 1 followers – defined as fans following the sport for five years or fewer – fall within the 18-24 age bracket, with more than half being female viewers.
ESPN concluded their final season with record-breaking numbers, averaging 1.3 million viewers across their ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC broadcasts throughout 24 races. This figure surpassed their previous 2022 record of 1.21 million viewers and represents the highest live U.S. television average in Formula 1 history.
However, these numbers pale beside traditional American sports viewership. The NFL averaged 18.7 million viewers per game across television and digital platforms during their 2025 regular season, approaching their all-time record of 19 million set in 1989.
Apple’s Senior Vice-President of Services Eddy Cue reported positive early results from their broadcasting partnership, noting ratings increases over the previous year for their first three race broadcasts.
“Not only did we see more viewers, but we also saw more viewers throughout the weekend,” Cue explained. “I always thought there was a huge opportunity to grow viewership, not just on Sunday but all weekend. And we’ve seen that early on in the results that we have.”
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali emphasized the sport’s long-term American commitment during the conference.
“We will stay there. We know that the biggest sports in the U.S. are still far away but we are racers. And so we are not shy when we’re going to attack. Attack respectfully, of course, the other sports but we’re going to be in the culture of American fans,” Domenicali declared.
