It Doesn’t Really Matter, but…

Published September 4, 2025

Highlighting new topics and technology on the horizon can be exhausting. The weight and ramifications of topics I ponder for this column can be ominous. This week, I have opted for something clearly beyond our Bosque County line and generally unimportant. And yet, maybe it will make you smile as it does me. 

Checo and Bottas signed with Cadillac! 

That sentence is three things at once: a) it’s true, b) it’s not important to most people, and c) the statement is a test. If that statement needs explaining, then you do not follow Formula 1 racing. Now, before you move on, I would like to think you could still enjoy this article. There is only one way to find out. Stick with me. 

Make no mistake, I am not a true fan, and here’s why. I watch the highlight reels from races and short news updates when the mood strikes. I have no plans to ever attend a race, and I don’t own any merchandise. I’m generally not wired to be “a fan.” Even so, I still enjoy following F1 ever since COVID. And I’m not alone. F1 benefited greatly from the timing of people being trapped in their homes during COVID and the Netflix show on F1 called Formula 1: Drive to Survive – a TV series still in production. If you haven’t seen it, the first two seasons are worth watching, especially if you do not know anything about the sport. I think it is worth it even if you have no intention of ever following F1. The show is just well made. 

My background in film and media production has led to having many friends who understand what beautiful production looks like, even though it’s subjective. They know how hard it is to pull off “good TV” and appreciate the art of telling a compelling story. One of the most talented people I know in that field told me multiple times, “You have to watch Drive to Survive just for the production value!” So, when my wife and I found ourselves with hard-core COVID during the summer of 2020, it was time. After being in bad shape for three weeks, we were still far from well, but no longer just trying to survive ourselves. Cue Netflix. 

We were hooked. The way the Drive to Survive series brought people into the sport was compelling. The video quality is astounding. I recommend it. By the time you get to season three of the series, it’s up to you whether you want to continue, and I would not recommend wasting any more time unless you are “all in” to the point where my recommendation couldn’t stop you. 

At this point, it is reasonable to ask, “And why do we care about any of this?” Well, it’s entertaining. However, there are a million other ways to be entertained. And yet, there’s got to be something going on with this sport. F1’s popularity has skyrocketed in the USA. Maybe it’s trendy. Maybe we were looking for something new. But someone is taking it seriously, because GM and Ford just bought their way in, and it was not cheap. 

Formula 1 has always been seen as a European sport. An elitist sport. Something only rich people can afford. Not NASCAR. Some of these points are about to change. Well, “Not NASCAR” will probably stay intact. In fact, I remember when I was introduced to NASCAR by a bunch of missionaries we were supporting. A subgroup of them were fans, and as I learned about their passion for the sport, I found it fun to follow enough to know what they were talking about. With that, I’m pretty sure the NASCAR crowd is probably eyeing the rise of F1 with suspicion. And rightfully so. Let’s talk about numbers in relation to NASCAR and the NFL. 

When it comes to valuations, the NFL is worth over $220B, F1 is worth over $45B, and NASCAR is valued at just under $5B. When it comes to audiences, NASCAR averages 2.7 million people watching per race. Not bad, but the NFL averages 17.5 million per game. However, this is where the global scale kicks in. F1 averages 85 million viewers per race. That’s a crazy number. But the real change in the US is growth. NASCAR lost 15% of its audience year-over-year. The NFL lost just over 2%. But in the US, F1 audiences increased 12%, and that is part of what is driving the investment. In that US-based growth, the new fans are younger, and three out of four are female. To sponsors, they see valuable long-term customers. 

As for F1 being a European sport? Well, the Americans are coming. Red Bull is now in a partnership with Ford for their power units, starting in 2026. That’s a huge change. But more importantly, Cadillac will soon be the eleventh Formula 1 team. In addition to the enormous cost of building a car and team, Cadillac paid $450 million to F1 just to get their team added. Clearly, someone thinks that is worth it.  

For people following the sport, there is a lot of evidence that Cadillac is building the entire enterprise with proven quality talent. Seasoned, respected leaders have been assembled in management and technically, but including the drivers. Mexican driver Sergio Pérez, known as Checo, and Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas are pros. Combined, these guys have a total of 476 races, have been on the podium 106 times, and have won 16 races. 

I will repeat. This does not matter in the big scheme of things. But I’m excited to see what two of my favorite drivers will do when Cadillac throws a lot of money at this rapidly growing sport. I will most likely be entertained – especially if an American team can crack the code and beat the Europeans at their own game. And in this case, we’ll use all North America and South America, so that Checo checks the mark for at least one American driver on the team. I’ll be entertained. Maybe you can be as well. 

 

And beyond this, let’s see what’s next!

J Matt Wallace