The inaugural edition of the Formula 1 (F1) motor racing series’ Las Vegas Grand Prix, held on November 19, drew an average of 1.3 million viewers in the US on its debut, despite taking place at 10pm local time (PST).

This marked the largest F1 audience in the country since June’s Canadian Grand Prix, which drew 1.76 million viewers in an afternoon time slot and surpassed the tally that viewed October’s United States Grand Prix, which took place in Austin, Texas.

The race, which peaked at 1.5 million viewers early on, was broadcast on the US sports network ESPN, which is owned by global media conglomerate Disney.

ESPN holds the rights in the US to F1 until the end of the 2025 season after striking an extension in October. Under that deal, ESPN will provide live coverage of all F1 grands prix across its ESPN and ESPN2 channels, with at least 16 races per season aired on free-to-air sister channel ABC.

The penultimate race of the F1 season was, in the end, the second most-watched F1 event ever on ESPN’s ESPN+ OTT streaming service, however, it fell far short of this season’s Miami Grand Prix, which was the most-watched F1 event ever in the country.

The tally means that the series has averaged 1.12 million viewers in the US this season with one race left to take place, a slight fall from 2022’s record tally but still far above any other season on record.

Formula 1 has expanded across North America with a number of events in recent seasons, and now iconic North American auto manufacturer General Motors (GM) has been confirmed as a new power unit manufacturer for the sport to start in 2028.

From the beginning of the 2028 season onwards, GM will be able to provide power units, which comprise the engine, exhaust, turbocharger, and other vital components, to F1 teams that choose to utilize them.

The entry by GM is heavily linked to the manufacturer’s brand Cadillac applying to join the F1 grid as its 11th side as part of the Andretti Cadillac F1 Team entry.