Formula 1 grows in popularity amongst US fans

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Sunday saw fans from all over the world congregate in Austin to watch Formula 1 (F1) at the Circuit of the Americas.

The sport has grown in popularity in the United States recently. In the past two years, FIA, F1's governing body, added two new cities to host races in the US: Miami and Las Vegas.

"It's super fun to see a bigger turnout every year," said Britney Wilson, a fan at the race. "I feel like there's a really big fan base here in Texas."

One of the aspects of the sport that's sparked interest among fans is the underlying science.

"The engineering aspect of it is probably what gets me the most excited," said Zach Thacker, another fan at the race. "The process of how they upgrade the car and the science behind it—it's really pretty cool for me."

Another aspect that's led to popularity in the U.S. is the Netflix show Drive to Survive. The fifth season in 2023 saw "nearly 570,000 viewers over its first week."

"A lot of people watch it now, and they're jumping on the bandwagon, which is super exciting for F1,” Wilson said.

Charles Leclerc won the United States Grand Prix with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz finished second. Max Verstappen was awarded third place after a late penalty was assessed to Lando Norris.