F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Achieves Record Viewership Despite New Free Hack |

Published on: November 26, 2025, 12:09h.

Updated on: November 26, 2025, 12:09h.

The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix outperformed its two predecessors in terms of viewership. As reported by Nielsen data from ESPN, last Saturday’s event attracted an average of 1.5 million viewers, eclipsing the inaugural 2023 race, which garnered 1.3 million viewers. This remarkable achievement occurred despite a new free access hack circulating on social media.

The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix commences with Lando Norris from Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes, while Max Verstappen from the Netherlands competes in the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 for dominance on the track. (Image: Mark Thompson/Getty)

Timing was critical for this year’s competition. The race was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. ET, which is nearly two hours earlier than the 2024 event that could only attract 905,000 viewers. This strategic change enhanced accessibility for American audiences while still appealing to global markets. The results were evident, with viewership peaking at 1.8 million between 8:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT.

However, whether attendance saw a corresponding uptick remains uncertain, as no official figures from F1 organizers were available as of Wednesday morning. Attendance has been declining, with 315,000 spectators attending in 2023, dropping by 15,000 last year.

This race will mark the last Las Vegas Grand Prix broadcast on ESPN, concluding the sports network’s eight-year coverage of Formula 1. Starting in 2026, F1 will transition to an exclusive five-year streaming agreement with Apple TV, which will air all races, qualifying sessions, and practice runs.

Innovative Viewing Methods

Las Vegas Race Cameras — Once a year, Las Vegas’ traffic cameras—like this one located on the Strip in front of Caesars Palace—offer fans an alternative viewing experience. (Image: X/@Rebootjayx)

F1 reached this impressive viewership milestone despite a clever new trend in race watching. Many fans, lacking subscriptions to networks like ESPN or Sky Sports, have discovered a workaround by accessing public street cameras.

Since the Las Vegas circuit runs through city streets, the race was accessible for free via traffic cameras managed by the Nevada Department of Transportation. These live feeds, available online 24/7, cover several corners of the circuit.

Posts from fans, including a notable video from X user @Rebootjayx, demonstrate how this method works. Although editing was evident and the downsides were clear—no commentary, instant replays, pit coverage, and often poor resolution making it hard to identify cars—the raw footage offered a unique, albeit imperfect, look into an otherwise copyrighted event.

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