Formula 1 is experiencing a dynamic resurgence, attracting a growing global audience while making significant inroads in the United States. The sport’s fanbase has surged to 826.5 million worldwide, with 90 million new fans since 2023 and 50 million since 2021. The sport’s growth is most evident in the United States, where F1’s presence is becoming more common and is attracting a new generation of enthusiasts.
Since Liberty Media acquired the rights to F1 in 2017 and expanded the US race calendar from one to three events (Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas), the US market has reportedly grown by 10.5% since 2023, adding nearly 90 million new fans in just the United States.
There’s no question that the sport is growing heavily in the US, despite some of the significant challenges it faces to continue that growth. With three races already staged in the US, it’s doubtful Liberty will expand to a fourth race. That, again, limits the ability for American fans to attend a race or watch more regularly.
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How the grid has become the home for passionate female fans
One key audience that’s helped grow F1 globally, including the United States, is women. The F1 fan base now includes 41% women, representing the most rapidly expanding demographic among 16-to-24-year-olds. The number of female viewers of F1 on television increased by 34% in 2024. The Netflix series Drive to Survive has become a major driver behind the growing female fan base. The docuseries follows teams and drivers throughout the past seven seasons, giving fans an inside look at the personalities, politics, and drama that drive the sport.
“I think women are super multi-passionate, and we love so many different things. And some women really enjoy maybe the business aspect of it, some women are aspiring engineers or engineers in the field, and they really love the technology, and the dynamics of the cars.” – Mikaela Kostaras, F1 Content Creator
Formula 1 has achieved this growth through its purposeful outreach to women, using digital engagement, inclusive initiatives, and a vibrant social media presence to draw in a diverse younger audience. While many assumptions about why women flock to F1 focus on the drivers, their looks, and fashion sense, it’s not that simple. The reasons women find F1 appealing cannot be simplified into just a few surface-level reasons.
Why do young women fall in love with Formula 1?
“I think the answer to your question is that there isn’t a single defining thing that women like about it,” Mikaela Kostaras, an F1 and racing enthusiast and online content creator, told me on The Sportsnaut Interview Podcast. “I think women are super multi-passionate, and we love so many different things. And some women really enjoy maybe the business aspect of it, some women are aspiring engineers or engineers in the field, and they really love the technology, and the dynamics of the cars. Some women really like social media or the personalities on the grid. I think there are just so many different reasons why women or any person likes a sport and enjoys sports.”
Kostaras grew up in a motorsports family, so racing was in her blood. She began sharing her passion for the sport on her social media channels (@shelovesvrooms on all major platforms), and it took off. She believes women relate to her content because of its authenticity and her love for the sport.
“I really think what it boils down to is how I just show up as myself and encourage others to do the same, however that looks for them,” Kostaras said. “Because I think the more people that we have showing up honestly and authentically in this space is only going to encourage a more diverse and beautiful fan base that is reflective of this international sport.”
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Challenges F1 faces in continuing to grow with women in America
There’s no question F1 is the fastest-growing sport among women globally and in the US. But it’s not all rainbows and unicorns for racing in North America.
The 41-percent female fan base F1 enjoys outpaces Major League Baseball in the US (currently estimated to be 38 %, growing about 3% year-over-year), but trails the National Football League by seven percentage points (48% of NFL fans are women).
“Women are driving the global growth in sports fandom, with 72% of women globally identifying as avid fans of one or more sports, reflecting a rapid fan base growth of +10% over the last three years,” said the Wasserman Collective in their 2024 study, Her Love of the Game: A Global Overview of Female Fans of Sports.
Despite women’s avid hunger for and support of sports in general, unlike MLB, the NFL, and now even the WNBA, the cost of being an F1 fan is prohibitive. With just three races held in the US each season, it’s challenging for fans to see a race. Even if you are close to one of the circuits in Nevada, Texas, or Florida, the cost makes the Super Bowl get-in seats look like a bargain.
A three-day Lewis Hamilton Grandstand pass for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 22 will run you $875 per person. That’s the “budget” grandstand. If you want a prime seat in the Silver Main Grandstand, each ticket will cost you $1,750. It’s no wonder Formula 1 offers payment plans to purchase tickets on its website.
Add in the fact that most races are international and sometimes begin after 1 AM Eastern time, and you quickly understand why it takes wholeheartedly devoted women to follow F1 from the US.
The secret to F1 growth with women is digital platforms
As Kosataras has proven successful as an F1 content creator and influencer, the younger female audience following the sport loves the content. It keeps them engaged, despite the obstacles of time zone and cost.
“I think that’s why it’s so successful,” Kostaras told Sportsnaut. “I think that’s (women’s fondness for F1) just being further amplified by all of these different social media accounts and creators and the drivers, and the teams themselves on official accounts.”
She added that Formula 1 is now “starting to play into the trends and long-form content,” including on video platforms like YouTube and podcasts. You can see this in any of the major social media platforms, which are continuously flooded with F1 content.
Social media platforms actively support this dynamic digital presence as an energetic engagement center. Social media interactions during race weekends reach 40 million as young female fans actively share race footage, driver information, and fan-generated content on TikTok and Instagram.
The 2023 RTR Sports Marketing report showed that 70% of F1 Instagram followers belong to the under-35 age group, and former F1 Academy driver Jamie Chadwick has gained hundreds of thousands of followers among them, according to a recent Forbes report. The Netflix series Drive to Survive, combined with digital enthusiasm, has transformed F1 into a cultural phenomenon that attracts women to the sport while building an international fan base at an unprecedented rate.
“I think the more people that we have showing up honestly and authentically in this space is only going to encourage a more diverse and beautiful fan base,” Kostaras added.
American women might not have the chance to see an F1 race in person during the 2025 season, but they’re never more than a few taps away from being connected to the drivers, teams and sport they have a growing love for.
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