With the post-Covid bounce over, and household budgets ever tighter, Formula 1 race promoters know that sellouts are not guaranteed if they do not go the extra mile.
This is why F1 weekend music concerts and added family entertainment have become an essential element in attracting the big crowds these days to what have become, in effect, motor racing festivals.
But there is one element that is just as important in drawing in spectators - yet is completely outside the control of those selling the tickets. That is the state of the show on track.
So it is perhaps no surprise to hear that, after a 2024 season that began with fears of complete Red Bull dominance but has transformed into an epic title battle, there has been a notable change of trend in fan interest.
And, as Circuit of the Americas executive chairman Bobby Epstein has revealed, even F1’s booming interest in the United States has not been immune to ticket sales being influenced by how competitive things are on Sunday afternoons.
“I think we're in good shape coming up to this grand prix, although the route to get here was a little bit different this year from a fan standpoint,” explained Epstein about preparations for this month’s USA GP.
“Our ticket sales really took off when Max [Verstappen] stopped winning and it got more competitive.
“So I give a lot of credit to our fan base and the audience. They are tuned in; they are educated and they're paying attention. And I think it's exciting to see the season shape up the way it is.”
Epstein says that before McLaren’s resurgence helped ignite the F1 2024 campaign, ticket sales had not looked too great.
“I think it would have been our weakest year in four, since the pandemic,” he admitted.
“But I do think we are seeing a bit of a trend overall in ticket sales for all events. It’s what they call the hockey stick - it [the sales] just goes up at the end.
“It used to be more of a steady climb throughout, whereas we've seen it in concerts also where there's more last minute buying than there used to be.
“It seems to be an across the board thing, not just unique to F1 phenomenon, but it was definitely lagging to prior years.”
The Eminem effect
Whatever the reasons for the change in ticket-buying behaviour, Epstein is predicting another bumper crowd.
Things have been further helped by the added attraction of a sprint race weekend, allied to the huge interest that star music act Eminem has attracted for Saturday.
“We’re expecting another big [weekend] crowd, probably it's somewhere where it's been the last couple years,” he added.
“But I would think whatever the record is for a Saturday sprint race, we should shatter that record, because Eminem has outsold Taylor Swift.
“We've increased the size of the infield lawn to get to near 100,000 for the concert. So I think whatever amount of people they've had for sprint races before, 130 to 150,000 people will be there for the Saturday sprint race, and it's going to be an incredible Saturday.”
The city of Austin will also potentially be busier than normal too, with a college football game between the University of Texas and the University of Georgia being held on Saturday.
It offers further opportunity for a crossover of fans who may wish to twin a weekend trip to Austin by attending two major sporting events.
Epstein added: “We think it is the biggest weekend ever for sports entertainment, and we're billing it as such. The Longhorns, our little local team, they're playing the other team, it's Texas against Georgia, and so there's going to be a lot of people in town for that.
“So if you like racing and football and music and a good time, Austin's going to be an unbelievable place to be.
“I think we'll have a weekend like we've never had before in terms of overall excitement and things to do….And we probably are setting a record on Austin hotel prices.”
The Vegas impact
This year’s race at COTA will be the first since the Las Vegas GP returned to the F1 calendar.
And, following much intrigue 12 months ago about the potential impact the USA’s third F1 race would have on Austin and Miami, the answer seems to be that there has been a marginal gain for everybody.
As Epstein said: “In terms of our attendance, it brings some more attention to the sport. But then it competes for ticket sales to some extent, although not so much, because they're so uniquely different events.”
But Epstein thinks that the impact of the Las Vegas GP is actually felt more globally than in the USA.
“With the timing of that race, it's tough,” he said. “I like it because it's a spectacle.
“I think it builds the sport globally, but whether it builds it as much in the US as Miami? I think Miami does more for building the US audience because of the time that it's on.
“But I love the spectacle of the Vegas race, and I hope more people watch it.”
