Twenty drivers, ten teams, one winner. Formula One proves an exclusive and selective racing sport taking the world by storm. While its roots date back all the way to the 1920s, it attained the name Formula One in the late 1940s. Since its creation, the sport has remained highly Eurocentric. Various analysts have concluded that F1 viewership is at its highest in the Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, and Brazil. The F1 fandom has peaked in the past few years because of “Drive To Survive” despite it having a not-so-rich history of viewership in the US.

Since Netflix’s 2019 spring premiere of “Drive To Survive”, an ongoing docuseries about the drama on and off the track in Formula One, F1 viewership rose 18% globally. Flash forward to 2021– the rise was a whopping 54%. The first post-season-one US Grand Prix’s ticket sales were up 15%. Grand Prix occurs globally including three in the United States: Austin, Miami, and the newly added Las Vegas. Liberty Media, Formula One’s parent company, shares that the new race in Vegas is due to an increased priority in continuing to fuel the sport’s growth in the States.

Recall how soccer did not gain popularity in the U.S. until a century after its creation, and once it did, became a multi-billion dollar industry. Cereal boxes began showcasing soccer players on their packaging, colleges began adopting various soccer programs, and more. The way F1 is trending, it could reach a similar level but on a smaller scale than soccer. Crossroads students like 11th grade’s Adam Lipp and 10th grade’s Lila Michael can be seen watching Formula One highlights, having race day viewing parties, etc. ESPN has stated that they will begin paying the grand fee of $70-$85 million annually in addition to what they have already been paying to maintain streaming rights. The sport will likely become incredibly prominent in sports society in the next few years. While Formula One’s newfound regard may be fueled by many factors, “Drive To Survive” is undeniably one of the driving ones.