Miami, May 1 (Reuters Sports Service) - McLaren boss Zak Brown said on Friday that the next big step for Formula One in the United States should be to significantly increase television viewership.

The sport's popularity has increased steadily in recent years, thanks to the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survival, the three races held in the United States, and Apple's recent blockbuster Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt.

Nevertheless, viewership figures for this global sport, which previously struggled to attract audiences in North America, remain small compared to major American sports such as the NFL.

Speaking at a motorsport business exchange event at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Brown said that Formula 1 is still only just beginning in terms of the content it can share on digital platforms.

* I am pleased to have three races held in the United States

When asked about the course of development, Brown said, "I think it's about television viewership ratings."

The American added, "I think we have three great races, and although I think we could certainly support four or five races, that would be at the expense of other markets that I think we need to enter."

He added, "So I am happy with our current situation, because I believe there are other areas of growth in South Africa, Korea and things like that."

He continued, "I think television viewership is still relatively low compared to the NFL worldwide. I think that's the biggest area for growth, which is raising television viewership."

Apple TV replaced Walt Disney's ESPN this season as the exclusive broadcaster of Formula 1 races in the United States, with live coverage of all 24 rounds and the potential to attract more people to watch the sport through mobile phones and apps.

A global survey conducted in 2025 on Formula 1 fans indicates that approximately 47 percent of new Formula 1 fans in the United States, who have followed the sport for five years or less, are between 18 and 24 years old, and more than half are female.

ESPN reported that the average viewership for the races across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC during the 24 rounds of last season was 1.3 million. This was the highest average live viewership in the United States in the championship's history, breaking the 2022 record of 1.21 million viewers.

According to the NFL and Nielsen, the league averaged 18.7 million viewers per game on television and digital platforms during the regular season of 2025. The previous record for average viewership was 19 million, set in 1989.