The cost to watch Formula 1
F1 is gaining popularity, but is it running the risk of pricing out fans?
Formula 1 is in a boom period. Silverstone reported record-breaking crowds at last year’s British Grand Prix, Netflix’s Drive to Survive continues to captivate new fans; in America, 2022 was the most viewed season in the sport’s history. But is it sustainable, and can people afford to watch Formula 1?
Before Liberty Media’s takeover of the sport in 2017 – replacing long-time chief executive Bernie Ecclestone at the helm – Formula 1 suffered from an elitist reputation.
Viewers had to understand the complexities of Formula 1: blisters could be caused by a poor choice of tyre compound, not a poor choice of footwear; clean air is great for whoever’s leading the race, but offers no benefit to a driver’s lung health; and, less surprisingly, a drive-through penalty has nothing to do with a Big Mac.
Each sport has its intricacies, but Formula 1 commanded a particularly intimidating level of knowledge – great for long-time fanatics, less so for casual viewers.
Rewind 10 years and Silverstone was struggling to shift tickets for the 2013 British Grand Prix, with plenty still for sale in the week leading up to the race.
This was blamed on expensive general admission tickets (the cheapest entry to a Grand Prix weekend) which had risen by nearly 50% since 2009.
Silverstone had no such issues in 2022: tickets for all three days of the event sold out months in advance and the circuit welcomed a record-breaking weekend crowd of 401,000 people.
And despite soaring costs this trend looks set to continue, with race day admission for 2023 already sold out.
A final tier three-day ticket (Friday-Sunday) to this year’s British Grand Prix is £349, while race day (Sunday) costs £299.
According to Formula 1 travel website F1Destinations spectators should budget £618 for the least expensive three-day experience (general admission tickets, camping plus spending money).
Upgrading to a weekend grandstand ticket and hotel accommodation will set visitors back roughly £990.
“In my opinion it is too expensive to go and watch a Formula 1 Grand Prix and I would like to see Formula 1 bring in, across the board and in as many countries as it’s possible to do so, a basic access ticket that is cheaper,” says sports broadcaster Christian Hewgill.
“…It wouldn’t need to be all tickets at that price, it might even be a small number that you have to pre-register for because I appreciate that it has to make money… but I would like to see some efforts made to make it more accessible in person.”
Formula 1 and the circuits that it visits are making efforts to ensure ticket prices are justified, but it can be difficult when the cost is comparable to a one-week European holiday.
“Silverstone is a bit too expensive for me to go to now… having been to Abu Dhabi, it’s really good that they put on so many different activities,” says Nathan Pocock, a Formula 1 fan since 2010.
“There are pit-stop challenges, an esports area… they do after-race concerts for free. Putting stuff like that in is what justifies the price.”
We posted a poll in the r/formula1 Reddit community to find out how rising prices are affecting fans. These are the results…
Comments left under our poll…
Away from the race track, the cost to watch Formula 1 at home has also increased.
The sport’s shift from free-to-air to pay-TV began in 2012, when Sky started showing live races alongside live broadcasts on BBC.
Since 2019 live races in the UK have been broadcast exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW, with the exception of the British Grand Prix which also airs on Channel 4.
“Formula One isn’t really any different to any other sport… most top-line sports, other than the Olympic games, you have to pay for,” says Formula One journalist Damien Smith.
“There’s a demand for it, it clearly works from a business point of view and I don’t think you can blame Formula 1 for going in that direction. But it is frustrating when it’s trying to attract young people who can’t really afford a subscription.”
At the time of writing the cheapest way to watch the entire 2023 Formula 1 season live is via a NOW subscription for £21 per month.
“It’s frustrating for all of us who want to encourage new fans who don’t have a lot of income… and students who have been caught up in the whole Netflix boom… but they can’t afford to be there.”
A fan's perspective: Imogen Walsh started watching Formula 1 in 2022 after watching Drive to Survive on Netflix
A fan's perspective: Bailey Bonnington started watching Formula 1 when he went to university in 2019
Similar decisions to switch to a pay-to-watch model have been made by other big sports leagues, from football’s Premier League to cricket’s T20 World Cup.
The FA Cup returned exclusively to free-to-air television in 2021, following five years on BT Sport.
“They decided to take in less money by going with the BBC and ITV… but they [the Football Association] have got it in front of more bums on seats,” says Christian Hewgill.
“The FA Cup is certainly enjoying a bit of a revival in terms of viewing figures.
“Maybe we’ll look back in 10 years and say Formula 1 should have stayed on free-to-air telly… or maybe it will carry on booming and they’ll be right that they didn’t really need to."
It's unclear whether this move to pay-TV will work in the long run, but Formula 1 has made huge strides in diversifying its audience and moving away from an ageing fanbase.
Time will tell if the sport has found the winning formula.
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