F1 Miami Grand Prix sets US audience record as Drive to Survive fever continues
Lando Norris' victory at the Miami Grand Prix was watched by a record-breaking U.S. TV audience as the Brit secured his first-ever Formula 1 win in Florida.
The F1 Miami Grand Prix has set a new benchmark for the sport's US TV audience, with an average of 3.1 million viewers and a peak of 3.6 million on ABC. This surpasses the previous record of 2.6 million viewers from the inaugural Miami GP two years prior, marking a significant 48 per cent increase from last year's 2.1 million.
This surge in viewership underscores the success of F1's strategic push into the American market, now featuring three Grand Prix races annually and the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive. Calls for even further expansion have been voiced by ex-Alpine and Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer, who suggested to Mirror Sport the addition of a fourth USA race.
"To me, the big question is how do you keep them? Maybe, a fourth race in America," Szafnauer proposed. "I've always said, make it a destination race. I think Miami is, I think Vegas is, Austin - I loved the city, but make it a destination race. In Abu Dhabi, they think that way too."
Amidst this record-setting backdrop, McLaren's Lando Norris clinched his first F1 victory after five years, narrowly defeating reigning champ Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Notably, Norris achieved this milestone in the presence of former US President Donald Trump, who jokingly claimed to be Norris's "lucky charm".
"About time, huh?" exclaimed a jubilant Norris, 24, following his triumph in his 110th F1 race. "The whole weekend has been good. I've had a few setbacks along the way. I knew on Friday we had the pace and just a couple of mistakes here and there but today we managed to put it together, we put the perfect strategy, it all paid off."
The victory was met with widespread acclaim, not least from Norris' old karting acquaintance and current rival, Verstappen, who graciously remarked: "You win, you lose. I think we're all used to that in racing, right? Today was just a bit tricky. I think already on the mediums, I didn't feel fantastic. We were pulling away but not like it should be.
"And then once we made the pitstop and I heard what lap times that McLaren were doing I thought, 'Wow, that's pretty quick.' Once they also switched on to the hard tire, they just had more pace, and especially Lando, he was flying. It was incredibly difficult for us on that stint. But if a bad day is P2, I take it.
"And I'm very happy for Lando. It's been a long time coming. And it's not going to be his last one so yeah, he definitely deserves it today."