Despite being a cultural touchstone for millions across Europe, Formula 1 has historically struggled to gain significant traction in the U.S. But this has been flipped upside down in recent years, as the open-wheel racing organization has been gaining steam in the U.S., where NASCAR has long dominated the auto-racing market. But while Formula 1 has undoubtedly gained ground, some industry experts say there may be nowhere left for it to go. 

How popular is it in the US?
Formula 1 fandom in the U.S. has been growing rapidly. There are about "52 million F1 fans in America, an increase of more than 10% from 2024," said Motorsport.com. On ESPN, which broadcasts races in the U.S., the network's "live race audience has doubled since 2018."

Why has it grown so quickly?
The Netflix series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" has certainly played a role and been "credited with everything from helping F1 crack the U.S. to rejuvenating the sport itself," said CNBC. But the "Netflix effect" is only part of the story.

Formula 1 has made American inroads in part due to the "expansion" of U.S. races "growing from two events in 2017 to three by 2023," said USA Today. These circuits "played a pivotal role in enhancing the sport's appeal." In 2024, the Miami Grand Prix "attracted the largest live U.S. television audience on record for F1 as an average of 3.1 million viewers watched," said ESPN. 

Has this popularity plateaued?
Despite Formula 1's U.S. growth, there are concerns that its popularity may have reached its peak. While attendance at live events "stayed relatively strong in 2023, American TV ratings tumbled a bit," said The Athletic. There may be a simple explanation: a lack of competition on the course. 

Max Verstappen, the 27-year-old Dutch-Belgian phenom, has become the face of Formula 1. Throughout 2023 and 2024, there was "consternation" that his "stranglehold on the competition could jeopardize F1's hard-fought expansion of its U.S. fan base," said Front Office Sports. He drove to victory so regularly that the "only exciting races have been the ones that Max is not in," said McLaren driver Lando Norris. 

But Verstappen's 2025 has been far less successful. And as Formula 1 gets more competitive again, viewership could once again rise.

If you have ever half-watched a show on Netflix while scrolling on your phone, it "may surprise you" to learn that the streaming giant knows you "engage in this obscene behavior" and "actually wants you to carry on," said The Guardian. The practice of using two devices at the same time has been dubbed second screening, and Netflix has a history of telling showrunners that scenes aren't "second-screen enough." The reasoning: If a viewer's "primary screen" is their phone, they "shouldn't be so challenged" by the TV that they "switch the show off." 

'Overly expository dialogue' 
Some shows are "intentionally scripted" for "distracted viewers," said Daphne Rena Idiz, an arts, culture and media postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, at The Conversation. Netflix "explicitly labels certain series 'second-screen shows' and develops them as such," according to one insider. This means having "overly expository dialogue," repetitive plots, and voiceovers or characters narrating the action so that distracted viewers can "follow along." 

One tag among Netflix's 36,000 microgenres "offers a suitable name for this kind of dreck: casual viewing," said N+1. This is "usually reserved for breezy network sitcoms, reality television and nature documentaries," as well as many Netflix movies that "go down best when you are not paying attention." 

'Stifling creativity' 
Of course, not all shows are geared toward second screening. It's mainly the ones that are "interesting enough to warrant being left on in the background" but "formulaic and simplistic enough" to allow viewers to remain focused on their smartphones, said Verdict. 

Yet there's a "growing concern" that this will "lead to a decline" in the overall quality of TV content, added Verdict. Catering to second screening might "stifle creativity, as streamers decide to produce background noise rather than compelling storytelling." And if the shows become more simplistic, viewers might spend more time on their phones, "further perpetuating this cycle."