F1 is so popular even 200,000 in attendance not large enough to keep race

Formula 1 has become so popular under liberty media, even a race with a weekend attendance of 200,000 is not big enough to guarantee a race.

The French GP at Paul Ricard had a record crowd of 200,000 people over 3-days, yet it’s likely the series will not be returning after this year’s race. (See related article)

Since Liberty Media has acquired Formula 1 Formula One saw its Q1 revenue increase by 100 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to US$360 million for the three months ended 31st March 2022.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 on track during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of France at Circuit Paul Ricard on July 23, 2022 in Le Castellet, France. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

“We’ve had a phenomenal start to the 2022 Formula One season, building on our momentum from a successful 2021,” said Stefano Domenicali, president and chief executive of Formula One.

“The new cars and regulations are delivering as we had hoped, enabling closer racing, more overtaking, battles through the field and thrilling results.

“Our events are attracting growing audiences both in person and across all our platforms.”

Greg Maffei also shed further light on Formula One’s broadcast performance so far this season. Speaking on an earnings call, the president and chief executive of Liberty Media revealed that the viewing audience for the series’ sprint race at last month’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was “up 28 per cent versus the qualifying last year at Imola”.