Formula 1 is one of the fastest growing sports properties in the United States, with viewership nearly doubling since 2018. The beverage alcohol category has a long-standing relationship with the sport, with Champagne presented to each race winner since the inaugural French Grand Prix in 1950. Today, major spirits brands are increasingly following the playbook that tobacco wrote — using F1 to build cultural equity with a premium, aspirational global audience. In this deep dive, we use Ground Signal’s data to profile the F1 fan, identify where they drink in the on-premise, and connect consumer preference to menu reality and commercial performance.

Key Findings Include:

• The F1 venue universe was built from behavioral signal — identifying consumers who post about F1 on social media and then mapping the nearly 10,000 on-premise accounts where they are most active
• The F1 fan skews younger, male, and more affluent and multicultural than the typical on-premise consumer — with a strong preference for premium spirits, particularly Scotch.
• F1 fans frequent premium, sceney venues — hotels, beach clubs, rooftops, and live music spots — which over-index for sports occasions and seasonal moments, with notable concentration in US Grand Prix markets.
• Menus at F1 consumer venues mirror the consumer profile — skewing heavily toward premium expressions and globally influenced serves, and commanding average cocktail prices well above the national benchmark.

• Depletion data confirms these are high-value accounts — total and per placement volumes dramatically outperform the national benchmark, with sales skewing toward higher end price tiers that command stronger margins.