Formula One’s improved US TV ratings for the Monaco GP (1.45 million viewers on NBC) and the possibility of more Northern / Central American Grands Prix appearing on the calendar in the next few years have had a number of people speculating about F1’s potential in the Americas.
Yet while Monaco was an apparent success, numbers for the Indy 500 took another dive, while numbers for both the IZOD IndyCar Series and F1 as a whole remain relatively small on NBC Sports (approximately 200,000-300,000 viewers).
So, my question for today is:
“For Formula One to build a foundation for success in the US, does it need a strong localised series (IndyCar), or can growth be achieved alone, albeit with no American drivers or teams therein?”
As always, any thoughts, opinions and comments are more than welcome.
I reckon that once there is an American driver or two, things will pick up vasttly. Look at how into F1 the Americans were when Texas came on the calendar last year. The just need decent coverage and someone to root for, hopefully the rest will follow.