"Space is the limit": Formula 1's CEO talks about expanding races to other American cities ahead of U.S. Grand Prix
CBSN
Ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told CBS News that America has a "huge potential of growth" for the sport.
Although most races around the world happen during morning hours in the U.S., recent data shows more Americans are tuning in to watch F1 cars speed around the tracks. This season is averaging 916,000 viewers per race after 15 races – a 51 percent jump than the COVID-19 plagued 2020 season (608,000 per race) and 39 percent higher than the first 15 comparable races in 2019 (660,000 per race), according to ESPN, which airs the races in the U.S. In addition, six of the top 10 most-viewed races on cable have happened this season.
The U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas already sold out and expected to be a celebrity-filled event, Domenicali said, and it will reportedly have around 360,000 fans at the track, breaking a fan attendance record. Miami is also slated to have a race in early 2022, marking a return to Florida, where a Formula 1 race hasn't been held since 1959.
