Formula One racing is one of the most exciting, high-speed endurance race events in the motorsports calendar, so it’s a little surprising that this international series of races is not more popular in the North American continent than it currently is. In the USA, spectators are more likely to follow NASCAR or the Indianapolis 500, but in Canada there is a healthy and growing fan base for F1, particularly in Québec where the coverage tends to be the best.
Many of the international races take place when most Canadians are asleep, but the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix had the highest physical attendance of the season, with around 360,000 spectators coming to watch live. This also represented a huge increase from the previous year, indicating that there has been a surge in popularity for the sport. Canada has a special history with Formula One racing, and there are a few more factors at play to explain why Canadians may prefer it to the alternatives watched by their southern neighbours.
The Legend of Gilles Villeneuve
Although the Grand Prix race had taken place in Canada since 1961, it moved to its permanent Canadian circuit in Montreal in 1978. That year, it was won by Gilles Villeneuve, a native of Québec driving for Ferrari. Only two years later, Villeneuve was tragically killed in a qualifying race in Belgium, prompting the Montreal circuit to be renamed in his honour. It is largely due to the enduring memory of this legendary Canadian that the sport remains so well-attended.
The Online Influence
In recent years, several factors have come together to boost the popularity of F1 in Canada, all of them connected to the rise of the internet. Video games, once the preserve of the single player or small groups of friends, have gone global and now players can race against opponents all over the globe. There is an annual Formula One esports league which runs alongside the physical season, and it’s getting more people involved with the sport than ever.
Another aspect that is fuelling the rise is the growing number of options for sports betting in Canada. New online Canadian casinos, that is, casinos operating in Canada from overseas, are offering odds on more and more sports as the appetite for such betting becomes clear. The domestic sports betting market still imposes a lot of limits on customers, but the international sites offer a way to bet on sports outcomes that does not contravene legal guidelines. F1 may still not match hockey as a popular sport to bet on, but allowing fans to have a stake in the outcome is sure to draw more people in.
The final aspect to mention is the way sports are watched at home. Official figures suggest that there has been a decline in the number of fans tuning into F1 races globally. However, these numbers do not give the full picture. While F1 races used to be available on public television channels, the majority are only found via subscription services, which has naturally cut the audience. This has led to more and more fans seeking online alternatives, and as the speed and coverage of internet has increased, so have the number of viewers watching via free streaming services. Naturally, these don’t count towards the official viewing figures.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
