F1's viewership milestones come to an end with ESPN's final season
ESPN's eight-year partnership with Formula 1 concluded with a bang, breaking new ground in viewership numbers. The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix drew an impressive 0.8 rating and 1.53 million viewers, a record-breaking figure that surpasses last year's high of 1.0 million. This surge in viewership, despite recent methodological changes by Nielsen, is a testament to the sport's growing popularity.
Max Verstappen's victory, alongside Lando Norris's season title, marked the final Formula 1 race on ESPN networks. The upcoming season will see F1 move to Apple TV, a five-year deal that promises to bring even more viewers to the sport. This shift in broadcasting rights is a significant development, as it will be interesting to see how Apple's platform influences F1's viewership.
Among the 24 races this season, 16 set new viewership records, and 21 saw a year-over-year increase. However, the Miami Grand Prix, the most-watched race of the season, did not increase its viewership, possibly due to the absence of the NBA playoff lead-in effect that boosted last year's race. The 2025 F1 season on ESPN averaged 1.32 million viewers, a 20% increase from the previous year, making it the most-watched F1 season on U.S. television.
The last five F1 seasons, dating back to 2021, have been the most-watched in history, surpassing the long-standing record of 748,000 viewers set in 1995. ESPN has now aired the six most-watched F1 seasons in the past 30 years, a remarkable achievement. When ESPN started its current F1 run in 2018, the first season averaged 554,000 viewers, an improvement over the previous year's average on NBC Sports.
Compared to other motorsports, F1 viewership is still behind the IndyCar Series, which averaged 1.36 million, and the NASCAR Cup Series, which averaged 2.48 million. However, F1 comfortably surpasses the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which averaged 1.05 million. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is likely the last F1 race with publicly accessible viewership estimates, as Apple has not subscribed to Nielsen measurement, relying on league executives' discretion.
Despite the end of ESPN's F1 journey, the sport's viewership is at an all-time high, and the future looks bright with Apple's involvement. The transition to a new broadcasting platform will be an interesting development, and the sports media industry will be watching closely to see how it impacts F1's global audience.
