Performance Communications | March 14, 2025
When Liberty Media bought F1 in 2017, it promised to grow the sport, enhance the racing experience and add new dimensions.
So how has it gone? Well, the 24-race calendar last year was a record, as was the 6.5m live attendees at these races. Drive To Survive, the sport’s behind-the-scenes Netflix docuseries, has become a global phenomenon – spawning similar series for Tennis, Rugby, NASCAR, Golf and more. So, it seems Liberty Media has delivered.
However, scratch below the surface and all is not as well in F1, as the sport battles a collision between the new fans attracted by recent innovations and those who discovered the sport during the Ecclestone era.
Take the rotational deal to keep Spa-Francorchamps on the calendar until 2031 but replace it with a different track in 2028 and 2030. Spa is one of the most evocative races in the sport and the news that F1 is prioritising newer, more glamorous races in Miami, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas over historic European tracks came as a blow to traditional F1 fans. It was, for them, further evidence that the sport is moving away from them.
As Liberty sees it, though, these new races provide value to the sport and serve it better – growing a following in parts of the world where there is latent interest. This untapped interest also means untapped finances. More money in the sport results in better-funded teams who can do more to make the racing the best it can be. Win.
Earlier this year, rumours began to swirl that F1 was going to replace its powerful but wheezy sounding V6 Turbo engines, with screaming V10s running on ‘sustainable fuel’ later this decade. Cristian Horner and Lewis Hamilton chimed in with their support, but you only needed to have a look on social media to see evidence of the circle that F1 is increasingly having to square.
‘Traditional’ fans were all for it, while newer fans questioned how the sport could be going back to thirsty V10s while the rest of the world is heading, albeit slowly, towards hybridised or fully electric powertrains.
This paradox is indicative of the delicate tightrope F1 must tread – which fans does it prioritise? Will the traditional fanbase stick around, or will it lose interest? Will the new fans maintain their interest, or is it a passing fad?
On the face of it, last year’s numbers suggest there is little cause for concern. However, those record attendances were only a record because of the record number of races. Average race attendance flatlined – with ticket sales only picking up once it became clear Verstappen wasn’t going to cruise to the title.
Drive To Survive is lauded as bringing new audiences to F1, which it certainly has. Even anecdotally, I know several people who were introduced to the sport via Netflix. However, viewership fell 30% last year and the executive producer recently told The Guardian that many viewers watch the show, but not the actual races.
This last point is reflected in Google Trends, too. Last year, the peak interest in F1 wasn’t Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari, or fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo getting sacked halfway through the season, nor was it any of the on-track action. The peak was in the week commencing 25th February – the week that Christian Horner’s WhatsApp messages were leaked.
The issue that F1 faces is that the sport they’ve promised on streaming services, YouTube channels and social media doesn’t quite match with what is served up every Saturday and Sunday. The gossip and drama off track, new regulations and new race locations eclipse the on-track action between lights and flag.
In global motorsport, F1 is the only game in town when it comes to the interest of media and TV audiences. However, it cannot rest on its laurels and must avoid chasing transient fans at the expense of long-term success. A close championship battle would be a good place to start. Here’s hoping…
Hugh Baillie-Lane
