Formula 1 is no longer just a sport you watch on Sundays. It has become one of the fastest-growing travel ecosystems in the world.

The numbers tell the story. The global fanbase has surpassed 827 million, and more importantly, those fans are increasingly willing to travel. In 2025 alone, a record 6.7 million people attended races across the calendar. That is not just growth. That is a shift in behavior.

F1 weekends are now positioned closer to festivals or major global events than traditional sporting fixtures. Think less “race day” and more “destination experience.”

But with 22 races across five continents and ticket prices stretching from around $220 to well over $1,000, the question becomes very real: where should you actually go?

A new study by Fanatix attempts to answer exactly that, ranking every Grand Prix based on what actually matters to fans on the ground.

What actually makes a great F1 trip

Fanatix evaluated each race using eight practical metrics. Not just racing quality, but the full travel experience.

Ticket pricing
Attendance and atmosphere
Destination appeal
Airport accessibility
Local transport
Fan sentiment
Overtaking and on-track action

This is important because F1 travel is no longer just about the race. It is about how easy it is to get there, how enjoyable the city is, and whether the entire weekend feels worth the investment.

And that is where the results get interesting.

The races that deliver the full experience

At the top of the list sits the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, scoring 7.91 out of 10.

This is not a surprise if you have followed F1 travel trends. Melbourne has quietly become the gold standard for how to host a race. Nearly 465,000 fans attended in 2025, far exceeding official capacity, and the city’s public transport system makes race access unusually smooth for an event of this scale.

What stands out is balance. Strong destination appeal, solid racing, easy logistics. Nothing breaks the experience.

Canada follows closely in second place, and arguably delivers the most exciting racing among the top contenders. Montreal consistently produces unpredictable races, and crucially, it is one of the easiest circuits to reach from the city center. That combination matters more than ever as F1 crowds grow.

Then comes Monza.

Europe’s strongest F1 destination

The Italian Grand Prix remains Europe’s best-performing race, finishing third overall.

Monza works because it combines three things that are increasingly rare on the modern calendar. Strong fan culture, relatively accessible pricing, and a destination that extends beyond the circuit.

Milan adds depth to the trip. You are not just attending a race, you are building a weekend around it.

That is becoming a defining factor. The best F1 events today are not necessarily the most glamorous or the most expensive. They are the ones that integrate seamlessly into a broader travel experience.

When popularity doesn’t equal experience

Some of the most famous races did not rank as highly as expected.

Silverstone, for example, draws the largest crowd on the calendar with around 500,000 fans and has one of the highest fan satisfaction scores. Yet it only ranks eighth overall. The reason is simple. Pricing and transport friction.

Interlagos in Brazil tells a similar story. It has the highest fan rating of any race, but lower scores in infrastructure and accessibility pull it down to tenth place.

This highlights a broader shift. Passion alone is no longer enough. As F1 becomes more global and more commercial, fans are evaluating the full journey, not just the racing.

The cost problem is becoming visible

The study also exposes a growing imbalance in pricing.

China emerges as the most affordable Grand Prix, with tickets starting around $220. Yet it still sits mid-table due to average scores across other categories.

At the other end, Las Vegas ranks near the bottom despite offering one of the most visually spectacular races on the calendar. The issue is clear. It is simply too expensive.

The same pattern appears across the three US races. Miami, Las Vegas, and Austin all fall into the lower half of the rankings.

This reflects something we have been tracking across travel tech more broadly. Premium experiences are scaling fast, but they are not always delivering proportional value.

The weakest link in the calendar

At the bottom of the ranking sits Qatar, with a score of 5.53.

Interestingly, attendance is not the issue. The race draws strong crowds. The problem is the surrounding experience.

Low transport scores and the weakest fan sentiment on the calendar suggest that something is missing beyond the track itself.

This reinforces a key takeaway. F1 events can no longer rely on infrastructure alone. The expectation is now holistic. Travel, accessibility, atmosphere, and city experience all need to work together.

Where F1 travel is heading next

This ranking aligns with a much bigger trend.

Formula 1 is evolving into a global travel product, not just a sports calendar. And that puts it in direct competition with other high-value travel experiences such as major festivals, destination events, and even luxury tourism packages.

According to industry estimates from the FIA and Liberty Media, F1’s audience growth is being driven by younger, more mobile fans who are willing to travel internationally for experiences. At the same time, data from tourism boards shows that major events increasingly act as demand drivers for city-level tourism.

In simple terms, F1 is becoming infrastructure for travel demand.

But that also raises the stakes. Fans are no longer comparing one race to another. They are comparing F1 trips to everything else they could spend that budget on.

Why eSIM is becoming essential for F1 travel

There is one factor most rankings still overlook, but every fan feels on the ground: connectivity.

At a Formula 1 weekend, you are constantly moving. Airport transfers, crowded circuits, city navigation, ticket access, ride-hailing, live updates, sharing content. And this is exactly where traditional roaming fails.

Roaming charges can spike fast. Local SIM cards mean queues and friction. Public Wi-Fi becomes unusable when tens of thousands of fans connect at the same time.

This is why eSIM is no longer optional for F1 travel. It is the simplest and most reliable way to stay connected across multiple countries on the calendar.

Instead of switching SIMs at every race or risking unpredictable costs, you can activate a data plan before departure and land fully connected. No downtime. No physical cards. No surprises.

And when you look at how fans are now planning F1 trips, often combining multiple races or building longer travel itineraries, this becomes even more important. Connectivity is no longer just a utility. It is part of the experience.

In the same way Melbourne wins because everything “just works,” the same expectation now applies to your mobile connection.

If you are planning to attend a Grand Prix in 2026, this is one decision you should not overcomplicate. Get an eSIM before you travel, and remove one of the biggest friction points from your entire trip.

Conclusion

The takeaway is clear. The best Grand Prix in 2026 are not necessarily the most iconic or the most expensive. They are the ones that deliver a complete, frictionless experience.

Melbourne, Montreal, and Monza lead because they understand this shift. They are not just hosting races. They are hosting travel experiences.

At the same time, markets like the US and parts of the Middle East highlight the risks of over-indexing on price and spectacle without matching it with accessibility and value.

This is where Formula 1 starts to look very similar to the broader travel tech landscape. Distribution, pricing models, and user experience are becoming just as important as the core product itself.

And that is the bigger picture.

F1 is no longer competing with other motorsport events. It is competing for your entire travel budget.

The winners will be the destinations that understand that first.

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