F1 enjoying surge of support in Middle East, Nielsen data shows

DUBAI : Formula One is enjoying a surge of support in the Middle East with younger female fans the fastest growing demographic globally, according to data published by Nielsen Sports on Tuesday.

The Gulf region has four races, one more than the United States, in a season that ends this weekend at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina with McLaren and Ferrari fighting for the constructors' title.

The figures showed female interest increasing by 11 per cent compared to last year in Saudi Arabia, and 10 per cent among men, with the biggest growth in the 50-69 year age bracket.

Jeddah hosted a race for the first time in 2021 and Saudi energy giant Aramco sponsors Aston Martin as well as the sport as a whole.

"New sponsor categories are opening up. We’re seeing a significant shift in the brands engaging in the sport attracted to this changing fan demographic," said Nielsen Sports' global general manager Jon Stainer.

Nielsen said one in four of the 46,000 people surveyed across 37 international markets claimed to have become a fan of Formula One after watching the Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive'.

The data showed 41 per cent of F1 fans were female, with those aged 16-24 the fastest growing group.

Nielsen said Formula One was now the most popular annual sporting series with more than 750 million fans worldwide. Global interest since 2021 had risen by 5.7 per cent, or 50 million people.

The average team sponsorship deal rose 56 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, from $2.87 million in 2019 to $5.08 million now and with an average duration of 3.2 years compared to a previous 5.2.

There was also a more diversified array of sponsorship, ranging from crypto to luxury LVMH brands.

IT sponsors made up 20 per cent of the spend, compared to 3 per cent in