The viewing figures from last weekend reveal a stark contrast between NASCAR's Cup Series and Formula 1, particularly during their simultaneous events. Formula 1 took center stage in Austin, Texas, for the United States Grand Prix, which was also a sprint weekend, adding extra excitement to the proceedings. However, the F1 race coincided with the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 in Las Vegas, the first race of the Cup Series playoffs’ round of eight, where Joey Logano clinched the victory and secured his spot in the championship four.
When comparing the two, the popularity of NASCAR among U.S. viewers is evident. According to statistics from Blackbook Motorsport, 2.23 million people tuned in to watch Joey Logano’s win in Las Vegas, while only 1.3 million viewers watched Charles Leclerc claim victory in Austin.
Although the F1 viewership in 2024 marks a slight increase from last year’s 1.17 million, it still falls short of the 2022 (1.34 million) and 2021 (1.41 million) figures. This trend suggests that F1's growth in the U.S. has plateaued, despite the surge in interest following the success of Netflix's Drive to Survive series.
In contrast, NASCAR's ratings have remained stable, consistently surpassing two million viewers in recent years, with the exception of a near miss in 2020 (1.97 million). This data underscores the fact that Formula 1 has significant ground to cover before it can rival NASCAR's popularity in the United States, especially considering that these F1 figures are from a race held on American soil.
Joey Logano's win
Joey Logano has secured his spot in the Championship 4 once again, triumphing in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Team Penske driver led the last six laps after executing a daring fuel strategy that paid off. At 34 years old, Logano becomes the first driver to qualify for this year’s title race, continuing a remarkable streak of making the finale in every even-numbered year since 2014. This marks his sixth Championship 4 appearance, adding to his two titles from 2018 and 2022.
Charles Leclerc's win
Charles Leclerc won the United States Grand Prix while his teammate Carlos Sainz secured the second spot. Ferrari finished historic 1-2 at Austin's Circuit of the Americas while Mclaren's biggest championship contender Lando Norris was penalized denting his title run. Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen finished third. Norris was penalized as he had passed Verstappen in the final laps for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. He suffered a five-second penalty which was enough to play a spoilsport for the Singapore GP winner for a podium finish at US GP. The penalty was a talking point as Norris went from third to fourth place, allowing Verstappen to secure a podium finish and extend his championship lead to 57 points with just five races to go.
