25/09/2025
NEWS STORY
1.1 million viewers, the largest audience ever for the event on U.S. television, tuned into Sunday's broadcast of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
ESPN proudly boasts that its Formula 1 race viewership continues on pace for a season record audience as Sunday's audience was up from the event's previous record of 970,000 set in 2021.
Last year's race, which was the first time the race was run in September after having previously been held earlier in the season, averaged 865,000 viewers.
The race also averaged 420,000 viewers in the 18-49 demographic.
Of the 17 F1 races held so far this season, all but one (Miami) have seen year-over-year viewership increases and 11 of the 17 (Australia, China, Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Azerbaijan) scored event record audiences.
Across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, F1 races are averaging 1.4 million viewers, ahead of the all-time U.S. television record average of 1.21 million that was set in 2022.
Of course, many of those 1.1 million will have tuned in following the drama and chaos that was qualifying, whereas the race was effectively over after just 5 corners, much of the rest afternoon being a series of DRS trains, with only the prospect of a red-flag or a successful undercut - in a one stop event - livening up what proved to be a processional event.