Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Averages Record 1.4 Million Viewers on ESPN Despite Rain Delay

1.6 Million Watch Sergio Pérez's Win After Rain Delays Race Start

Largest Cable Audience on Record for Event; Up 43 Percent Over 2021 Viewership

ESPN's live telecast of the rain-delayed Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, May 29, averaged 1.4 million viewers, the largest live cable audience for the race on record and the second most-viewed live telecast of the historic race ever. Viewership was up 43 percent over the 2021 edition of the race, which aired on ESPN2 and averaged 977,000 viewers.

Excluding the rain delay, the race telecast averaged 1.6 million viewers from 10 a.m. until noon ET as Mexico's Sergio Pérez drove to victory. During the rain delay prior to the start of the race, 1.2 million were tuned in from 8:53 - 10 a.m. as they waited for action to start. The audience peaked at 1.8 million viewers in the 10:30-10:45 a.m. quarter hour.

An encore presentation on ABC at 3:30 p.m. averaged 762,000 viewers.

This year's seasonal average of 1.4 million viewers is 45 percent larger than the 948,000 average through the first seven races of the 2021 season and up 45 percent over the 949,000 season-long average for 2021, which was the most-viewed F1 season ever on U.S. television.

ESPN's Formula 1 telecasts also continue to attract younger viewers - the race averaged 595,000 viewers in the Persons ages 18-49 demographic, up 45 percent over last season's race average of 411,000. ESPN was averaging 319,000 viewers per race in the Persons 12-34 age group through the first six races of the season, up 84 percent over the average of 174,000 for the first six races of 2021.

The top 10 local market ratings for the race telecast:
1 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 1.6
2 Washington, DC 1.5
3 Richmond, VA 1.5
4 Hartford, CT 1.4
5 Fort Myers, FL 1.4
6 Tampa-St. Petersburg 1.3
7 Austin, TX 1.3
8 Tulsa, OK 1.1
9 Charlotte, NC 1.1
10 San Diego 1.1

The Monaco Grand Prix holds the record for the largest audience of any kind ever to watch a Formula 1 race in the U.S. (2.78 million on ABC in 2002 for a same-day delayed telecast). The largest live audience ever for the Monaco event was 1.41 million on NBC in 2013.

The next race is the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, June 12, at 6:55 a.m. on ESPN.

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