ESPN has experienced a remarkable surge in viewership, setting a new record for the Australian Grand Prix, with an average of 1.1 million people tuning in to watch the season’s opening race.
The previous record, set in 2019, saw 659,000 viewers, but this past weekend’s exciting and rain-soaked Melbourne race, won by Lando Norris, far surpassed that number. In a gripping finale, Norris managed to fend off Max Verstappen’s late challenge, despite several Safety Car interruptions. The race, broadcast on ESPN, had its lights out at midnight Eastern Time and concluded just after 2 AM ET.
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The viewership peaked at 1.3 million during the race’s early moments, a significant increase compared to the 541,000 who watched Carlos Sainz clinch victory on ESPN2 in 2024. However, it’s worth noting that last year’s event was the third round of the season, following Verstappen’s dominant wins in the first two races.
Although slightly behind the first race of 2024—where the Bahrain GP drew 1.12 million viewers on a Saturday morning and 1.32 million on a Sunday morning in 2023—the numbers indicate a strong start for ESPN’s 2025 coverage. The Australian GP’s challenging timezone made these figures particularly impressive, hinting at the potential for a record-breaking year for viewership.
As Formula 1 enters the final year of its current broadcast agreement with ESPN, the sport is preparing to transition to a new broadcasting platform in the United States. Netflix appears to be leading the race to secure these rights, although Apple, Amazon, and other streaming services are also expressing significant interest.
