At the Miami International Autodrome, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, observing the crowd from the ground floor, wondered if the cheers were directed at him. The 62-year-old humorously suggested he wasn`t young or cool enough for the enthusiastic fans leaning over balconies, unlike the younger celebrity drawing a crowd nearby.
The object of that particular crowd`s attention was the 29-year-old actor Timothée Chalamet, for whom the youthful spectators indeed expressed their excitement loudly.
However, even the Oscar nominee couldn`t generate the sudden, high-pitched screams that erupted upon the arrival of the even younger Formula 1 drivers, who were on their way to compete.
As each race driver emerged from their team headquarters located within Hard Rock Stadium and navigated through the throng towards the garages, the volume of the crowd`s adulation seemed directly linked to the driver`s age.
“It is good to be young and fast,” commented 85-year-old Sir Jackie Stewart as he watched 25-year-old Lando Norris pass by amidst a chorus of “LANDO! LANDO! LOOK UP HERE!” The three-time world champion added, “That`s the proper way to describe Formula 1 right now: young and fast.”
Hours later, the race results reinforced the legend`s point. Oscar Piastri, 24, finished first, with his teammate Norris taking second, solidifying their positions in the drivers` championship. They were joined on the podium by 27-year-old George Russell, followed by reigning world champion Max Verstappen, also 27, Alex Albon (a relatively older 29), and Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli had made headlines on Friday by becoming the youngest driver ever to win a pole position in F1.
Antonelli will not celebrate his 19th birthday until late August.
Oscar Martinez, a 48-year-old Miami resident, described the significant shift in his family`s engagement with F1. He recounted years of trying unsuccessfully to get his children to watch races with him on Sunday mornings, only for them now to eagerly wake him up for it and want F1 tickets as their only Christmas presents. Pointing two rows down to his teenage children, dressed head to toe in McLaren gear and riveted by the action, he revealed with a shout so they could hear, “She has the biggest crush on Oscar!”
“Dad, stop it!” came the immediate reply.
Clearly, it`s about being young and, as Mr. Holyfield noted, cool. In its 75-year history, Formula 1 has never been this cool or grown this rapidly among young people in the United States.
American interest in F1 surged starting in the summer of 2020. With many people confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, they discovered the existing streaming series `Drive to Survive.` This show transformed a sport that had long been cherished by a dedicated, somewhat niche, and typically older motorsport audience into a point of curiosity for millions who previously knew little about it.
Among a global fanbase estimated at 750 million, approximately 42% are under the age of 35. F1 claims that half of its American fans started watching within the last five years, adding over 20 million new enthusiasts, and that its fastest-growing demographic is females aged between 16 and 24.
While these statistics might be viewed with some skepticism as marketing figures, anyone present in the Miami International Autodrome grandstands on Sunday found plenty of immediate anecdotal evidence to support these claims.
Lisa Donato of Fort Lauderdale shared a similar generational experience. She recalled being reluctantly taken by her father to the same stadium to see Dan Marino, only to become a lifelong fan, even getting a No. 13 tattoo. Now, she attends with her children, who are fans of drivers like 27-year-old Charles Leclerc, and her daughter is asking for a Ferrari tattoo – a request denied for now due to age.
“Nothing makes us happier than to see not just young people, but families, here together,” said Tom Garfinkel, who oversees the Miami Grand Prix and events at Hard Rock Stadium. F1 recently announced a significant 10-year contract extension securing the Miami GP through 2041. Garfinkel noted the dramatic broadening of the F1 audience, particularly in the United States, stating, “We aren`t the reason for that, but we are proud to be a part of that reason.”
F1 events in the United States were largely absent in the 1980s and 90s, followed by years of sporadic, one-off races. Currently, the U.S. hosts three races annually: Miami in the spring, and Austin, Texas, and Las Vegas in the fall. Despite recent discussions about other American cities seeking to host races, this trio appears set for the foreseeable future. The Circuit of the Americas in Austin is contracted through the next season, and Las Vegas has a deal extending until 2032.
Based on the enthusiasm of the young fans leaning over the rails and the young drivers they were cheering for, it`s evident that American youth are deeply captivated by Formula 1. There are no signs of this interest waning soon. This was loudly underscored when Piastri secured his fourth win of the season and sixth GP victory in nine months, with the resulting cheers from the Hard Rock Stadium grandstands momentarily matching the roar of the twenty 1,000-horsepower race machines outside.
“You can feel that energy, no doubt. I know that I do, and I`m certainly no youngster,” Red Bull boss Christian Horner commented on Friday regarding the vibrant atmosphere surrounding the sport. Horner manages drivers like Max Verstappen and 24-year-old Yuki Tsunoda. He added, “The fans, they feed off it from us, but we also feed off of it from them.”
As Sir Jackie Stewart aptly put it, it`s a time when being young and fast is truly beneficial in Formula 1.
