The winners’ podium (from left to right): Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal from Italy; Lando Norris, the winner of the British Grand Prix; Max Verstappen, the second-placed driver from the Netherlands; and Charles Leclerc, the third-placed driver from Monaco. This took place on May 5, 2024, at the Miami Grand Prix in Miami, Florida, USA, during the 6th round of the Formula 1 World Championship.
The 2024 edition of the Miami Grand Prix was a phenomenal success, with an unexpected winner in Lando Norris. The Formula 1 race captivated the American audience, setting a new viewership record.
According to ESPN, the live broadcast of the Miami Grand Prix on ABC attracted an impressive audience of 3.1 million viewers. This marks the highest viewership ever recorded for an F1 event on American television. The previous record of 2.6 million viewers was set during the inaugural Miami Grand Prix in 2022, representing a notable 48% increase compared to last year’s race.
At its peak, the race drew 3.6 million viewers, with an average of 1.3 million viewers in the 18-49 age group throughout the broadcast. Additionally, the Miami Grand Prix weekend also set a new record for the most-watched Sprint race in the United States since its introduction in 2021. An average of 946,000 viewers tuned in to witness Max Verstappen’s victory over Charles Leclerc during the Saturday Sprint, surpassing the previous record set by Azerbaijan in 2023 (883,000 viewers).
The rating attracted over half a million viewers, with an average of 625,000 tuning in to follow the action on Saturday afternoon. In addition, Miami Dolphins CEO and managing partner of the Miami Grand Prix, Tom Garfinkel, announced that weekend attendance reached at least 275,000 people, and tickets sold out for the third consecutive year.
The combination of record television audience and a sold-out crowd, along with the unexpected race result, undoubtedly brought immense joy to Garfinkel and his Miami Grand Prix management team. This further solidifies the growing presence of Formula 1 in the United States.
Miami now joins Austin, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada, as one of the three Grand Prix events held in the United States. The Miami International Autodrome still has a decade remaining on its initial contract, but Garfinkel envisions Hard Rock Stadium becoming a permanent part of the F1 calendar.
“We plan to stay here for a long time,” Garfinkel said in an interview with USA Today. “I fully expect us to continue hosting the race even beyond the initial 10-year contract.”
Given the overwhelming success of the Miami Grand Prix this weekend, Garfinkel’s prediction is likely to come true.
