The 2025 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix created a new record for global broadcast TV viewership, reflecting not only the sport’s surging popularity but also the impact of championship drama and strategic scheduling across major markets.
Max Verstappen delivered a commanding performance to win the race at the Circuit of the Americas, leading from pole and securing his fifth victory of the season. Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc engaged in a thrilling battle for second, with Norris ultimately outmanoeuvring Leclerc to take the runner-up spot, as Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton held on for fourth place despite a late puncture and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five after a challenging weekend.
Global Audience Surpasses 80 Million Viewers
Over the course of the US Grand Prix weekend, total cumulative broadcast audience figures soared past 80 million viewers worldwide. The championship battle effect provided a 12% boost to core engagement compared to typical race weekends, underscoring how pivotal moments on the track translate directly to increased broadcast reach.
| Sprint Qualifying | Sprint Race | Qualifying | Race |
| 8.9m | 17.9m | 17.3m | 36.3m |
Event Timing Powers Regional Growth
The scheduling of Sprint Qualifying, Sprint Race, and the main race aligned perfectly with peak hours for both American and European viewers. All times in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time):
Sprint Qualifying (Saturday, 22:30 UTC): Late evening in Europe and afternoon in the US, maximizing dual-continent reach.
Sprint Race (Saturday, 18:00 UTC): European afternoon, US midday – ideal for Western Hemisphere audiences.
Main Race (Sunday, 20:00 UTC): European evening, US afternoon, optimal for prime time viewing.
Official Race Day Viewership by Country
A market-by-market breakdown of estimated race-day TV audiences highlights both the global footprint and localised performance. These figures are estimates provided by Eyeballr’s viewership modelling, reflecting cross-platform audience data.
Asian viewership saw a 25-32% reduction due to overnight or early morning timing, while European countries (especially the Netherlands) benefited from a 10-18% audience increase, driven by local star Max Verstappen. The US audience itself surged thanks to the home-race effect, with a 12-22% boost over typical numbers.
| Rank | Country | Race Viewers |
| 1 | China | 5,208,000 |
| 2 | Brazil | 3,413,000 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 1,781,000 |
| 4 | Italy | 1,693,000 |
| 5 | United States | 1,650,000 |
| 6 | Germany | 1,643,000 |
| 7 | France | 1,530,000 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 1,388,000 |
| 9 | Spain | 1,367,000 |
| 10 | India | 1,118,000 |
Broadcaster Strategy and Rights Landscape
Sky Sports: Exclusive broadcast rights in much of Europe, powering record viewership and audience expansion.
Tencent: Delivers live streaming throughout China via digital platforms including Tencent, WeChat, and QQ.
beIN Sports: Holds exclusive rights in 25 MENA and Turkish markets, underpinning the region’s F1 coverage.
DAZN: Drives a technology-focused streaming strategy in Japan, Spain, and Portugal, integrating F1 into its digital sports packages.
ESPN: Central to US and Latin American coverage, with content on cable and leading streaming platforms.
Other key broadcasters included Fox Sports (Mexico, Australia), Canal+ (France, Argentina), SuperSport (South Africa), and Viaplay (Sweden, Netherlands). F1TV Pro continued as the official direct-to-consumer platform, supplementing national broadcasters.
Piracy and Illegal Streaming Impact
While the official global audience reached 36 million for the main event, an additional 13 million tuned in via illegal streams, accounting for roughly 26% of total viewership.
The US had one of the lowest piracy rates (10%) for the weekend, largely thanks to free-to-air race access on ABC. Brazil and Japan saw piracy rates of 18% and 15% respectively, while the MENA region experienced persistent 60–82% piracy due to paywall economics and fewer free-to-air options. Russia registered over 950,000 viewers, all via illegal streams, as no sanctioned broadcaster carried the race in 2025.
Markets where fans enjoyed free-to-air coverage, such as the US (ABC for the race) and parts of Europe, saw dramatically reduced piracy rates, reinforcing the importance of accessible coverage for the sport’s growth.
The five countries with the highest combined (legal + illegal) audiences were China, Brazil, United Kingdom, Italy & Germany.
How Eyeballr Compiles This Data
Eyeballr integrates open-source intelligence, direct broadcaster data, and proprietary AI modelling to forecast and validate major sports broadcast audiences. For the US Grand Prix, this included aggregating data from international rights holders, analysing digital stream performance, and estimating illegal viewership based on known piracy trends. The 2025 United States Grand Prix stands as a landmark event not just for on-track drama, but for its massive multinational broadcast reach – a clear win for F1, its broadcasters, and the global fan community.
Get ahead of the pack and learn more about the Eyeballr approach to sports broadcast viewership by emailing us at: stephen@eyeballr.ai
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