Why American F1 fans were left ‘irate’ with United States GP TV coverage

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Formula 1 has made massive inroads in the US market since the takeover of Liberty Media, with the record crowds at the race in Austin showing.

Part of this has been down to the Drive to Survive documentary series on Netflix, which has helped catapult viewership numbers in the country on TV.

F1 is broadcast worldwide on various channels as well as being part of their in-house subscription service. The recent US GP was broadcast on F1 TV and the terrestrial television channel ABC, however, fans who viewed the latter did not get the full coverage.

According to Peter Windsor on his YouTube livestream, fans were left irate over how the TV coverage ended once the chequered flag fell in Austin.

Peter Windsor highlights US GP TV broadcast issues

According to Windsor, the network decided to cut coverage off right after the end of the race.

This meant fans could not hear from race winner Charles Leclerc and title contenders Max Verstappen or Lando Norris after their controversial end.

“I have a few friends in the US and all of them are irate that the live TV coverage of the US GP from Austin was cut off before the podium ceremony, so they didn’t get the interviews,” said Windsor.

“If F1 is trying to make it big in America, that is a really bad thing and I’m just amazed that happened.”

How Taylor Swift helped save the US Grand Prix

Usually, fans are treated to after-race entertainment at Grands Prix depending on the venue and the US GP is no exception.

The Circuit of the Americas introduced the ‘Super Stage’ in 2015 which has played host to several artists including Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran and most recently Eminem.

In 2016, when the US GP hit financial trouble due to the waning popularity of F1 in the market having not yet produced Drive to Survive, the organisers decided to book an artist they knew would draw in the crowds.

Taylor Swift played her only show in the US that year, which opened up the race to a whole new audience and gave it the boost it needed to become sustainable. Crowd attendance reached 432,000 for the 2023 running, with that number expected to increase in 2024.