Formula 1's US Viewership Hit a Speed Bump: Is the NFL to Blame? For years, Formula 1 has been steadily gaining traction in the American market, but recent numbers reveal a surprising dip – and it all seems to coincide with a major event in another popular sport.
Last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix on ESPN drew an average of 931,000 viewers in the United States. While still a significant number, this is the first race to fall short of the one million viewer mark since the Japanese Grand Prix back in April. This represents the second instance of year-over-year (YoY) viewership decline for F1 in the US this season, the first being the Miami Grand Prix. The Singapore race had consistently exceeded one million viewers for the past three years, making this drop particularly noticeable.
But here's where it gets controversial… the timing. The dip in F1 viewership directly overlapped with a National Football League (NFL) game between the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings, played at Wembley Stadium in London. This resulted in an unusually early start time for the game in the US, putting it head-to-head with the F1 broadcast. Formula 1 has cleverly positioned itself in the US television landscape by airing in the mornings, capitalizing on the time difference with Europe. This strategy generally allows it to avoid direct competition with the NFL, a challenge NASCAR frequently faces during its playoff season.
Interestingly, while F1 experienced a slight downturn, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region continues to be a strong performer. Races in this region averaged an impressive 848,000 US viewers this year. Consider this: three out of the four APAC races aired in the middle of the night for most American audiences! This demonstrates a dedicated and growing fanbase willing to tune in regardless of the inconvenient timing.
Meanwhile, over on USA Network, the NASCAR playoff race at the Charlotte Roval attracted 1.54 million viewers. This is the most-watched NASCAR race since the playoffs kicked off at Darlington in late August. And this is the part most people miss… this surge in NASCAR viewership isn’t necessarily a sign of growth, but rather a signal that the series is experiencing a temporary audience boost after a period of lower engagement. The playoffs are currently averaging 1.54 million viewers, and if this trend holds, it will mark the first year on record where the NASCAR playoffs average fewer than two million viewers.
To put that into perspective, last year’s Charlotte race averaged 2.42 million viewers, but it was broadcast on the main NBC channel, making a direct comparison difficult. The narrowing gap between F1 and NASCAR viewership throughout the season seems to have reversed, at least for this particular weekend. It’s a reminder that television scheduling can have a dramatic impact on viewership numbers, even for sports with dedicated fanbases.
For those interested in a deeper dive, you can find more information on F1’s 2025 sponsorship portfolio here: https://www.blackbookmotorsport.com/features/f1-sponsorship-portfolio-2025-season-preview/ and an analysis of NASCAR’s performance on Amazon Prime Video here: https://www.blackbookmotorsport.com/features/nascar-amazon-prime-video-data-viewership-audience/.
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Ultimately, the Singapore GP viewership dip highlights the challenges of growing a sport in a competitive media landscape. Do you think the NFL clash was the primary reason for the decline, or are other factors at play? Could F1 explore alternative scheduling strategies to mitigate these issues? And is NASCAR’s recent viewership trend a cause for concern, or simply a temporary fluctuation? Share your thoughts in the comments below – we’d love to hear your perspective!
