F1 Miami Grand Prix Ratings Drop 29% Despite Strong US Audience

The 2025 Formula One Miami Grand Prix saw a significant drop in U.S. television viewership, drawing an average of about 2.1 to 2.2 million viewers on ABC—down around 29-32% from last year's record audience of 3.1 million. The decline is partly attributed to the absence of an NBA playoff lead-in, which had boosted prior years' numbers, while this year’s Game 7 aired on a different network. Despite the decrease, the Miami race still ranked among the top five most-watched F1 races ever on U.S. TV and marked the third-largest F1 audience in U.S. history. Meanwhile, NASCAR’s Texas race outperformed F1 in the same weekend, underscoring NASCAR’s continued dominance in American motorsports viewership. The viewership dip comes as F1 seeks to double its U.S. media rights fees, but reluctance from broadcasters is evident amid modest and fluctuating ratings. F1’s current deal with ESPN expires after this season, and uncertainty remains over whether the series can secure a higher-paying U.S. broadcast partner.