What fans Googled during the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix

The announcement of the Las Vegas Grand Prix by the FIA, Formula One's governing body, last year was met with a mixed bag of reactions. Social media was abuzz, with users poking fun at the track's pig-like shape, condemning the steep ticket prices, and expressing skepticism about the race's potential success even before construction of the paddock began. However, the inaugural race weekend, which started on Thursday, November 16, turned these preconceptions on their head.

The first practice session on Thursday was cut short due to a track incident, and later that day, during the second session, fans were unexpectedly asked to leave the track. Despite these initial setbacks, the mood shifted by Friday. A thrilling qualifying session resulted in an unexpected grid order, setting the stage for a promising weekend. The race on Sunday lived up to the heightened expectations. It was a rollercoaster of excitement, featuring yellow flags, unfortunate accidents, and penalties, all culminating in Red Bull’s Max Verstappen securing his 18th win of the season. The podium also saw Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the pole sitter, and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

Las Vegas Strip Circuit. By Hazim Fikri A. - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127052842

Now, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix behind us and the final race of the season ahead, I returned to my season-long practice of analyzing Google Trends post-race to gauge the most popular Formula 1-related search topics during the event.

On Sunday, November 19, at 7:44 UTC (Saturday 23:44 Las Vegas local time), I searched “Formula 1” on Google Trends to explore the trending global queries from the preceding hour. This period captured the race's final 45 minutes and the ensuing 15 minutes. During this time, the global interest index (Figure 1), which measures search volume for "Formula 1", peaked at 7:35 UTC.

Figure 1. Interest over time in the phrase "formula 1." Data from Google Trends.

The top worldwide searches during this hour, as illustrated in Figure 2, revolved around the Driver of the Day Award, a fan-driven accolade where anyone can vote for the driver they deem performed the best. Interestingly, pop icon Rihanna, who was one of many celebrities attending the race weekend and briefly appeared during the broadcast, also featured among the top five search topics.

Figure 2. Top queries related to "formula 1." Screenshot from Google Trends.

The related topics were dominated by five drivers, reflecting their impact on the race.

Figure 3. Top topics related to "formula 1." Screenshot from Google Trends.

Geographically, it was intriguing to note that the United States, despite hosting the race, was not among the top five countries in search interest (Figure 4), ranking 13th. However, a more detailed look at the US data (Figure 5) revealed that Nevada, the state where Las Vegas is located, led the search traffic by a significant margin.

Figure 4. Top five countries where the search term was popular. Screenshot from Google Trends.

Figure 5. Top five regions of the United States where the search term was popular. Screenshot from Google Trends.

As I reflect on this analysis and the entire season’s worth of Google Trends insights, with just one Grand Prix remaining, I can’t help but feel nostalgic. This practice has provided a unique lens into the real-time interests of Formula 1 fans around the world, enriching my experience as I watch the podium celebrations unfold. This weekend, the spotlight was on the Driver of the Day and Rihanna’s presence in the paddock.