It used to be a European thing – sleek race cars zooming through Monaco or Monza, watched by champagne-sipping royals and die-hard motorsport fans. But lately, something has shifted. Formula 1, once a niche pursuit for gearheads and globetrotters, has revved its way into the heart of American culture. What was once a quiet curiosity for many U.S. sports fans is now a full-blown obsession. And while Brad Pitt’s upcoming movie, F1: The Movie, is grabbing headlines, the real story is how F1 has managed to accelerate into mainstream American life.
Just ask Natalia Whitaker, a 25-year-old wealth manager from Los Angeles. “I went to the Miami Grand Prix recently and, oh my, it was the best weekend ever,” she says. “The emotion, the speed, the noise – fantastic. But there was so much going on that it would have been fun even without the races.”
Whitaker’s experience mirrors what many Americans are discovering: Formula 1 is not just about the race itself—it’s a full-scale cultural event. From exclusive parties and luxury branding to social media drama and global intrigue, F1 delivers a high-octane mix of adrenaline and aspiration.
For decades, American motorsport fans stuck to their own traditions—NASCAR, IndyCar, and the occasional Le Mans highlights. Formula 1 was perceived as too foreign, too complicated, or just too inaccessible. But that perception is changing rapidly.
According to Formula 1’s own metrics, the U.S. fanbase has surged 10% year-over-year in 2024, with 52 million American fans now tuning in. Social media engagement has jumped 29%. These aren’t just casual followers, either. F1 races in cities like Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas have become massive weekend events, attracting crowds upwards of half a million.
Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Formula 1 and a former Ferrari team principal, puts it plainly: “We consider each one of our races like its own Super Bowl.” That might sound like hyperbole, but it’s not far from the truth. The F1 experience now includes concerts, pop-up restaurants, fashion activations, celebrity appearances, and business networking opportunities. For many, the actual race has become just one part of a broader, sensory-rich extravaganza.
Fueling this momentum is the much-anticipated F1: The Movie, an Apple Original Films production set to hit theaters and IMAX on June 27. It stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a seasoned driver lured out of retirement for one last shot at glory. Co-starring Javier Bardem and Damson Idris, the film aims to capture the visceral thrill of Formula 1 while exploring themes of mentorship, redemption, and resilience.
But what makes the movie especially compelling is its authenticity. Pitt, now 61, reportedly trained to drive real F1 cars, reaching speeds of 180 mph during filming. The film’s production was integrated into actual race weekends, with cameras rolling during real Grand Prix events. It’s a cinematic stunt that hasn’t been attempted before in sports films at this scale.
“I’m just so excited for the growth of this sport here now,” Pitt told USA Today. “It’s a religion in other countries, in places like Latin America, Europe, and Asia. So it’s nice to see us catching up.”
Of course, this American F1 renaissance didn’t begin with Brad Pitt. Many fans credit the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive for igniting the spark. Now in its seventh season, the documentary-style show delivers a binge-worthy dose of behind-the-scenes drama—rivalries, betrayals, shocking crashes, and off-track politics that rival anything in scripted television.
The show humanized the drivers and turned them into household names. Suddenly, fans weren’t just cheering for teams; they were invested in the personalities. The suave charm of Lewis Hamilton, the cheeky humor of Daniel Ricciardo, the brooding intensity of Max Verstappen—each racer became a character in an unfolding global drama.
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing and arguably the most prominent American executive in F1, says that this “soap opera aspect” is a big part of the sport’s appeal. “Our game is played a lot off the track,” Brown explains. “That has captured excitement.”
There’s no denying that part of the sport’s magnetic pull lies in its unrelenting glamor. Whether it’s the Monaco Grand Prix’s yacht-filled marina or the high-stakes networking scenes at Las Vegas’ new F1 circuit, there’s a luxurious sheen to everything F1 touches.
Jon Gardner, president of F1 Arcade—a chain of simulator-driven restaurants cropping up across the U.S.—puts it like this: “The glitz of F1 is a huge part of its appeal… People order the champagne often when they’re here. They want to experience that glamour.”
And the numbers don’t lie: with F1 Arcade locations in Washington, D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia (and more on the way), these experiential venues offer fans who may never attend a race in person a chance to immerse themselves in the sport’s high-speed fantasy. For around $30, patrons can race virtual laps on real tracks in state-of-the-art simulators—all while sipping themed cocktails.
Another quiet but powerful shift in the sport’s evolution is the increasing presence of women—on both the fandom and professional sides. Roughly 40% of American F1 fans are now women, a number that continues to grow.
On the track, while there are no female drivers yet, the new F1 Academy—a women-only racing series that runs alongside F1 events—aims to change that. Off the track, women are already making an impact in engineering, operations, marketing, and team strategy.
In F1: The Movie, actress Kerry Condon portrays Kate McKenna, a technical director. To prepare, she spent time with real women working in F1. “Many of the women I met had been to engineering school,” she says. “They just got along with everyone, and simply focused on getting the job done.”
That sort of quiet competence reflects a broader cultural shift. F1, once an exclusive boy’s club, is slowly transforming into a more inclusive, dynamic space.
None of this expansion has happened by accident. Since acquiring F1 in 2017 for $8 billion, Liberty Media, a Denver-based firm, has executed a masterful Americanization campaign. Their strategy involved rethinking the race calendar, launching U.S.-focused content, collaborating with brands like LEGO (which built drivable brick F1 cars), and investing in grassroots outreach.
“We’ve gone from being an exclusive sport where the attitude was ‘Look but don’t touch,’ to being inclusive and engaging,” says Zak Brown. It’s a sentiment echoed by F1 fans old and new, who no longer feel like outsiders looking in.
Liberty Media understood early on that attracting the next generation would require more than just fast cars. They needed storylines, social media access, immersive fan experiences, and cultural relevance. And now, with Brad Pitt’s star power about to turbocharge the sport even further, the payoff is in full swing.
So what’s next for Formula 1 in the U.S.? Continued growth seems inevitable. More cities are vying for their own races. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is already shaping up to be the sport’s version of the Super Bowl-meets-Coachella. And with F1: The Movie expected to draw in a broader audience, the base is likely to expand beyond traditional sports fans.
But perhaps the most compelling part of the F1 story is how it mirrors the current cultural landscape: high-stakes, international, content-rich, and emotionally engaging. It’s reality TV with real consequences, fashion week with fireproof suits, a tech startup in the shape of a racing team.
For Natalia Whitaker and millions of others, it’s more than just fast cars. “It’s the full experience,” she says. “The energy, the style, the characters—it just pulls you in.”
And at this point, America’s foot is firmly on the gas.