With over 400,000 attending, how did the F1 U.S. Grand Prix get so popular?

Not long after Formula 1 started racing at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas, it looked like that race might’ve been following a similar pattern as past grands prix in the U.S. Start out with a bang, then slowly dwindle in popularity for any number of reasons before it was canceled entirely. Attendance for the 2012 opening race hit 265,000 before dropping to a low of just 224,000 in a rainy 2015 race. There being a race at all in 2023 and beyond was not a sure thing back then, but here we are. The USGP just posted another massive attendance figure of 432,000 and the race is currently slated to be run through 2026, securing its immediate future.

How did we get here? Well, the obvious answer is that the U.S. finally embraced Formula 1. The growth in the sport over the past few years inherently brings more butts into seats, and it’s to the point that COTA is getting over 400,000 into its complex over the course of the weekend. Massive musical acts, the tourist attraction that is Austin as a city, the timing of Netflix’s "Drive To Survive," and of course, the allure of the race itself have all combined into a perfect storm to make the USGP one of the most popular races to go to on the calendar.

“So I don't think you can talk about F1 these days without thinking about what Liberty Media did when they bought them and what 'Drive To Survive' has done for the sport,” Assistant Professor of Instruction at University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business, Donald Ruse tells us.

One of Professor Ruse’s courses at McCombs’ Business School is quite literally held in concert with the Circuit of The Americas, and while he attributes a good chunk of the race’s success to "Drive To Survive," there’s more to it than that. Ruse, who is not a lifelong Texan but currently resides in the Austin area, points to Austin being a booming town of both tourism and business. It’s a place with a world-renowned food and music scene. It’s a college town. And it’s also a city that can truly facilitate the mass amounts of people coming in without it being overbearing for the city. Many famous and major Formula 1 circuits don't have massive entertainment centers in the form of famous cities nearby, but Austin does, and it's a huge advantage.

The drivers liking the facility, the atmosphere and the track itself helps, of course. And while many races have a certain amount of pomp and circumstance, drivers are really into this race. The grid dresses up in cowboy hats; drivers debut unique helmet designs created with a Texan theme and teams even have unique liveries done up for the cars themselves. When fans see the kind of excitement from drivers and teams, they respond. Every on-TV interview you see with a driver during USGP week manages to come around to how much the drivers both enjoy the track and the theater behind this race. Personalized gifts for the drivers are handed out, and this year they all got customized bolo ties. McLaren driver Lando Norris smirked after receiving his and jokingly said, "you know you're the only track that does this stuff?"

“We have a world-class facility that's become a driver favorite,” Ruse says. “We have a production that is more of a festival than just an auto race, and that really has been all the ingredients to make this a fan favorite … It's a perfect built facility, and I think you get a lot of value for your money. Not only do you get to see a race but the entertainment that they put around this track is unbelievable.”