The new two-stop rule for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix may not have improved the “racing spectacle” as the sport’s governing body hoped, but the sport did see improvement in another area.
Ratings.
ESPN released their viewership numbers for this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, which aired on ABC, reporting a big jump over last year’s record viewership. According to a statement from the network, an average of 2.3 million viewers tuned into the “race-only” portion of the telecast. ESPN notes that represented the largest U.S. television audience ever for the Monaco Grand Prix, ahead of the 2.0 million from 2024, and is the third-largest live U.S. television audience ever for an F1 race.
Only last year’s Miami Grand Prix (3.1 million viewers) and the first-ever Miami Grand Prix in 2022 (2.6 million viewers) topped this year’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The statement also noted that F1 broadcasts on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 are averaging 1.3 million viewers per race, up over the 1.1 million from a year ago. 2022 saw the highest average viewers, with 1.2 million tuning in per race.
These numbers come in the final year of the network’s current contract with F1 to broadcast races in the United States. At the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali told the media, including SB Nation, that “discussions” were in place regarding the future of broadcast rights in the United States, and that “several partners” are interested.
Numbers like this might only increase the interest.
