How Sports Bars Can Tap into the Magic of Formula 1

When it comes to untapped markets, sports bars may find a gold mine with Formula 1 (F1) fans.

While F1 may still be considered a niche sport in the US, it’s got worldwide prestige and a fanbase growing at a rate faster than the F1 cars themselves. Here’s a little more about Formula 1, its (perhaps surprising) key fan demographic, and how sports bars and restaurants can market to the F1 fanbase.

Why Formula 1?

The Formula 1 fanbase in the US has grown a ton. In fact, average viewership in the US has doubled since Liberty Media Corporation bought the organization. In the past six years, F1 viewership went from 554,000 in 2018 to 1,100,000 in 2023. Viewership peaked in 2022 at 1,210,000.

And if that slight drop scares you, realize the sport saw a similar dip in 2020 before exploding in viewership in 2021.

The motorsport has become more popular and more accessible thanks in part to the Drive to Survive documentary series on Netflix. And more sports bars are seeing the business potential of showing F1 races at their bars.

Formula 1 Fan Demographics

F1 fans tend to be a lot younger than their more traditional sports counterparts. F1 fans, on average, are around 32 years old. Compare that with NBA fans (42) and NFL fans (50). In 2022, viewers of F1 aged 18-34 increased 43% and those aged 25-34 grew 46%.

F1 fans also have a larger share of women fans, too. According to one report, women make up 40% of F1 fans. In 2017, that number was a mere 8%. That is an insane growth of fans in one demographic in just a handful of years. In 2022, women viewership of Formula 1 races increased 34%.

So, if you’re looking to bring in more young women into your sports bar, or if young women are already a key demographic for your sports bar, turn to F1.

The future of F1 is young women.

Formula 1 vs NASCAR

While Formula 1 is more popular worldwide, NASCAR is still the motor-king in the US. In 2022, NASCAR averaged 3 million viewers where F1 averaged 1.2 million. With that said, F1 viewership has been growing while NASCAR’s has been decreasing steadily since 2005.

Both organizations started around the same time (NASCAR in ’49 and F1 in ’50), but there’s a vast cultural difference between the two groups.

For example, NASCAR markets itself as a rural, working-class motorsport, and its fanbase reflects that. The cars are tough and the drivers a bit rough around the edges. The sport and NASCAR’s origins are closely aligned with Prohibition-era moonshine runners.

Compare that to Formula 1 which touts itself as “the pinnacle of motorsport” and prides itself on elegance of driving. The F1 cars are sleeker than NASCAR and show off the agility and elegance of the car and driver with widely varying track shapes.

How to Find and Fit Formula 1 Races into Your Sports Bar’s TV Schedule

F1 racing runs almost year-round, typically March through November; though 2024 runs late-February through December. Every month has two to three races, with free practice typically on Friday, qualifying laps on Saturday, and the race on Sunday (though there is some variation).

Free practice, qualifying, and the race are usually all aired on TV, giving sports bars nice flexibility in how much of the event they show. You could just air the big show itself, or make a whole weekend event for any given race.

Start time for the races varies based on where it’s located. F1 is a worldwide, so when races start in your local time is inconsistent.

For example, the Lenovo Chinese GP in Shanghai, China starts at 3am ET but the Crypto.com Miami GP in Miami, FL starts at 4pm ET. So not every race will fit neatly into your operating schedule. You’ll want to look at the full schedule, see what will work, and plan things out accordingly.

The upside, is mid-to-late-morning races can be a nice attraction that segways well into whatever afternoon games you’re planning on showing.

The best and easiest way of finding when and where the races, practices, and qualifying runs will be aired on TV is the SportsTV Guide. It’ll list each race in your daily listing. You can filter events by date so you can look ahead to help with any event planning and marketing you have in store.

How to Market Formula 1 Races to Your Guests

F1 fans aren’t going to just magically show up to your sports bar. You need to show the races consistently, market to local F1 fans regularly, and be willing to give the programming time.

First, start off by figuring out what F1 races you can even show. Again, we recommend using the SportsTV Guide scheduling app to see when the races are, at what time, and what channels. Make a list of which races you can show.

Next, game plan. Are you going to just show the race or also the practice and qualifying laps the days before? Is the race going to be just a bit of side entertainment or the main attraction for its time slot at your sports bar?

Then, start marketing. You may already know what marketing strategies work best for your sports bar. But consider a multi-front marketing approach.

• Email. You own your email list and it’s much easier to get your message read via email than social media where you often have to pay extra to access your followers. Write up a catchy subject line to get folks to open (make sure it says “F1” or “Formula 1” somewhere). Then drop all the relevant info in the body, including any specials.
• Social Media. Despite not getting full-access, you’ll still want to blast your social media accounts with images and/or video marketing the race for your sports bar. Make it eye catching, full of useful info, and don’t forget relevant hashtags.
• In-house. Market the race to folks already sitting in your sports bar. You have myriad ways of doing this, including tabletop tents; flyers on your tables, bartops, front window, and bathroom walls; and displaying your TV schedule with the STVG for Digital Signage.

You should also research and reach out to local F1 fan clubs in your area. If there isn’t one, consider starting an F1 fan club. Either way, the goal is to turn your sports bar into the new F1 HQ for race fans.

Let the Race Begin!

While sports bars should continue to put a focus on their core audience, it’s always good to look for untapped fans of undervalued or more niche sports. F1 fans are huge worldwide and growing quickly in the US. Finding ways of making those fans appreciated and bringing them into your sports bar on the regular can only mean good things for your bottom line.