Method One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 20, 2022 Basic view through the race.
Thaier Al-sudani | Reuters
Method 1’s 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix lured greater than 1 million U.S. viewers for Sunday’s season-opener —making it the most-viewed F1 race on ESPN since 1995.
ESPN stated the Bahrain Grand Prix attracted a mean of 1.3 million viewers within the U.S. and peaked at 1.5 million viewers round 12:30 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. ET, because the race entered its closing and most dramatic laps. Viewership for the race is up in contrast with similar race on the 2021 schedule, which noticed a mean 927,000 viewers, in keeping with ESPN.
The community used metrics from measurement and analytics firm Nielsen to report F1 viewership within the U.S. Sky Sports activities owns the rights to air F1 races within the U.Okay.
Scuderia Ferrari and Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc won the Grand Prix, which earned Leclerc 26 factors to start out the season. Leclerc beat Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz, who completed second and earned 18 factors for a group whole of 44 factors within the first weekend. Mercedes driver and Britain native Lewis Hamilton completed third and claimed 15 factors.
This season, Hamilton seeks a report eighth F1 World Championship after falling within the final race of the 2021 season to Purple Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands.
The 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix drew extra cable viewers to ESPN than another for the reason that 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix, which averaged 1.74 million viewers, in keeping with the community. It is essentially the most seen race on any Disney-owned community since F1 returned to ESPN in 2018.
F1 reputation and viewership have shot up within the U.S. for the reason that behind-the-scenes Netflix sequence “Drive to Survive” debuted in March 2019. The sequence’ fourth season, recapping the 2021 season, grew to become accessible to stream on Netflix on March 11.
The racing firm set a brand new viewership report final season when it averaged 934,000 viewers per occasion on ESPN channels and the ABC community — up 54% in contrast with F1’s 2020 races. F1’s 2021 viewership included a mean 1.2 million viewers for the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, which aired on each ESPN and ABC.
The earlier viewership report got here in 1995 when F1 averaged 748,000 viewers per race.
In 2019, earlier than the pandemic paused international sports activities and pushed extra American viewers to F1, the game averaged 672,000 viewers on ESPN channels. In 2018, after ESPN returned the races to its lineup, F1 races averaged 554,000 viewers on the community.
Method One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 20, 2022 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in motion through the race
Thaier Al-sudani | Reuters
F1 including extra U.S. races
Liberty Media bought F1 in 2016 for $4.4 billion, having access to a world fan base of over 400 million. It trades F1 as a monitoring inventory below the ticker “FWONA” on the Nasdaq. Monitoring shares are utilized by corporations to gauge the success of a specific division in its portfolio.
Final month, Liberty reported the racing league generated $2.1 billion in 2021 income, up from $1.1 billion in 2020. And F1 must be ready to extend income with a brand new race added to the North American slate.
In April 2021, F1 struck a 10-year deal to introduce a Miami Grand Prix, its second U.S. race on the schedule. The inaugural race in Miami is scheduled for Might 10. Financials of that deal weren’t launched, however CNBC reported motorsport insiders estimate the auto racing league netted between $17 million and $20 million per 12 months below the pact.
F1 did not race within the U.S. from 2008 to 2011 however returned with the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin in 2012. The Miami Grand Prix brings 4 whole races to North America as F1 additionally races in Canada and Mexico.
And F1 might broaden within the U.S. once more.
The racing firm is reportedly looking for to return to Las Vegas, in keeping with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That might occur as quickly because the 2023 season and can be the primary time since 1982 that Las Vegas would host an F1 race.
F1 did not instantly reply to a CNBC request for touch upon the opportunity of a Las Vegas Grand Prix.
This season, F1 is scheduled to run 23 races, however longtime sports activities govt Chris Lencheski predicted that tally might broaden to 25 or extra with the addition of a Las Vegas race, one other occasion in China and a possible return to India and Africa.
Lencheski, the chair of personal fairness consulting firm Phoenicia, served as CEO of sports activities and leisure advertising agency SKI & Firm earlier than promoting the company in 2008. The corporate formulated F1 sponsorships.
Lencheski stated the Netflix sequence has boosted help for F1 races and stated two potential producers — Audi and Porsche — are additionally stirring buzz.
“Each of them have international footprints throughout automotive efficiency. So if they arrive [to F1], that is an incredible quantity of company funding that might enable Method 1 to broaden groups,” he stated.
F1 has additionally expanded its partnership income in 2021, together with a deal worth more than $100 million with blockchain platform Crypto.com.
F1’s subsequent race — the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix —  is slated for Sunday, adopted by the Australian Grand Prix on April 10.
Disclosure: Comcast owns CNBC’s guardian NBCUniversal and Sky.
