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A deep-dive into the increasing popularity of the sport on a regional and national level
By: Alex Watson
“It’s fascinating to see the most advanced machines paired with the most talented and skillful drivers, pushing each car to the max, where one small mistake could easily end your career,” says senior Yuma Tsubouchi. Motorsports for many, is not near the top of the list of the most viewed sports, but a trending increase in viewership across a primarily younger audience might change that in the near future. Yuma Tsubouchi is one of the few at DHS who consistently watches motorsports. Yuma further explains his commitment of “about 2-5 hours each race weekend, with practices, qualifyings and the races themselves.” To Yuma, “Motorsports take as much if not more coordination, precision, training, endurance and physicality than almost all other sports.” Another student, Sydney Collins, says “I would consider motorsports to be my most watched sport.” In the long run, Sydney mentioned her dream occupation to “work for a Formula One team as a strategist”.
Sydney attended the 2014 Montreal GP and prefers to watch “Formula One and the 24 Hours of Le Mans” In her opinion, “Formula One has grown a lot in popularity among high schoolers recently” with NASCAR still being the dominant series in the United States.
Motorsports on a national level are increasing in popularity, more importantly among a younger audience. Social media has played a vital role in the growth of motorsports in the US as well. According to Yuma, “Almost every time l open a social media app I see some sort of motorsport content”. Appealing to younger audiences, Formula One cars are fast with the drivers needing high precision and focus to keep their 200 mph+ machine gripped to the tarmac. Formula One has a large social media presence with nearly 27 million followers.
Data surveyed by 345 students gathered the sports on average that more students watch and what if any motorsports series they watch. In a list of the top 10 sports ranked by viewership by DHS students, Motorsports is placed sixth behind Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, and Soccer, respectively. Motorsports is ranked ahead of Golf, Tennis, Boxing, and MMA.
Also noted in the data, Formula One chases NASCAR in the most-watched series at DHS. The following top series include Indycar, IMSA, Moto GP, and Formula D.
National data shows there is a rise in motorsports as well. According to theSporting.blog, Motorsports is ranked in tenth. NASCAR is considered by U.S. sports fans to be the most dominant sports series in the US with Formula One still traction in America. Formula
One is among the pinnacle racing series’ worldwide, however, it is still not taking first place in the United States.
The 2024 Formula One calendar is divided into 24 rounds including three “free-practice” sessions, a three-stage qualifying, and the race. A multi-day event, typically starting on Friday and ending with the race on Sunday, the schedule is much different compared to other top sporting events. A season that starts in late February and ends in December, demands a large commitment from its viewers. It is clear F1’s strategy works as throughout the season, races reach 80 million viewers and a total reach throughout the season of 1.9 billion.
battling on the streets of Detroitin the 2023 Detroit GP.
With the Formula 1 season underway, Formula 1 is gearing towards its biggest season for viewership in the
United States this year. Since the 2023 season, Formula 1 has hosted three races in the United States: Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas. This means that the United States hosts more races than any other country on the F1 calendar. F1 is making a push to grow its US audience by increasing the number of races in the States. Currently, the US is ranked 6th in global viewership for Formula 1.
With the growing popularity of the sport, the US can easily join the top five list.
