It’s December dear readers, and you know what time it is. It is time for every single entity in the universe to do a recap, and do a deep dive on the year that went by. StubHub, the ticket-selling platform, is no different. Recently, they published a report titled “2023  Year in Live Experiences”.

Would it be shocking for you to know that Canadian GP outperformed Taylor Swift‘s Eras tour in terms of being America’s favorite international live event this last year? There have been increased efforts from Liberty Media, along with Drive to Survive, and the results are showing. F1 is becoming successful in its bid to Americanize the sport.

F1’s increasing popularity in the US

Formula 1, over the last six years or so, has had an increasing interest in Americanizing the sport. For instance, this year, there were three separate Grand Prix in the United States, with an additional two more in the North American region. Along with Drive to Survive, the events surrounding the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and of course, the Netflix Cup, a lot has gone right for Liberty Media.

However, at the start of 2023, if anyone were to tell me that during the course of this year, F1 would be more popular than Taylor Swift in America, I’d have assumed they shared a podium with Daniel Ricciardo and had too much Shoeys. However, the numbers tell us a different story.

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The 2023 Canadian Grand Prix saw many people from the US cross borders and visit the northern sister to witness a wonderful race. The three Grands Prix in the States just weren’t enough. In fact, according to StubHub, The Canadian GP claimed 1st place on the podium in the list of Top International Events for U.S. Buyers. A staggering 38% of the total attendance at the Canadian Grand Prix was from the USA! It pipped the Eras tour in Mexico City, which closely followed at 2nd place at 27%.

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However, Taylor’s influence wasn’t just restricted to her Eras tour, as she had a direct impact on Kansas City Chiefs’ ticket sales as well! The report suggests that thanks to the whole Taylor Swift – Travis Kelce saga; they saw a 30% increase in ticket sales! There was a brief period where the Taylor Swift effect could have been seen in Formula 1 as well, thanks to Fernando Alonso engaging with Taylor Swift dating rumors. Coming back to F1, massive credit has to be going towards Liberty Media for the way they’ve promoted Formula 1 in the United States.

What is it that Liberty Media did right in the United States?

It is not easy for Formula 1 to grow in viewership in the USA. They have to compete with the USA’s very own IndyCar and NASCAR events in similar categories. While the United States remains an integral part of F1’s history, the popularity weaned in the middle.

However, over the last few years, Liberty Media took a lot of steps in the right direction in a bid to increase the American popularity of the sport. Drivers such as Daniel Ricciardo have credited a lot of this success to Drive to Survive. Many pundits in the field, including former Brawn boss Ross Brawn, have also voiced the same opinion as Ricciardo’s.

On his website, Brawn states, “Netflix has just put rocket fuel on a fire that was already burning, and on top of it you have a real battle happening on the track. We’re seeing a very strong engagement with American fans now. For years, F1 was a cult hobby in America but we are now seeing a genuine increase in engagement.”

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With the added races in the United States, along with the fans seeing increasing more and more of how the drivers and team principals are behind the scenes, F1 surely looks like they’re on the right track.