Formula One fans pack the stands during the qualifying session at the initial United States Grand Prix hosted by the Circuit of the Americas in 2012. Race officials say ticket sales are the highest they’ve been since that race. [Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman] ▲

Taylor Swift once helped bring the largest Formula One crowd to Circuit of the Americas, but even she couldn't do what Netflix has for the United States Grand Prix in 2019.

Organizers for the Nov. 1-3 event say they're on pace for the best year of ticket sales since 2012, the inaugural year for the Austin race. That includes 2016, when a reported 269,889 fans came for the three-day weekend and Taylor Swift played her only concert of the year on Saturday night.

Overall sales are up 15% from last year, when F1 reported 263,160 attended the weekend and 111,580 came on race day. Additionally, more premium seating areas have been added to meet demand.

"We're seeing huge interest," COTA chairman Bobby Epstein said. "This is the first time since the inaugural year that all the reserved grandstand seats will be sold out."

The top reason for the increase, officials believe, is the Netflix documentary series "Drive to Survive" that was released in March. In surveys, first-time ticket buyers have overwhelmingly selected it as their top reason for attending.

"The only thing I regret is that Netflix doesn't have commercials and I can't take out ads for the race," Epstein quipped.

It's not clear whether the early sales will translate to a new attendance record, but the piqued interest in the sport from a U.S. audience is an encouraging sign for both COTA and F1. It comes at a particularly good time for the Austin track, with ongoing discussions about a contract extension for the USGP. The initial 10-year contract for the race runs through 2021.

Meanwhile, F1 on Oct. 15 announced that it had reached an agreement in principle to host a second U.S. race in Miami beginning in 2021. Questions have been raised about the viability of hosting two races in a country where general interest has long lagged behind NASCAR and IndyCar.

Epstein has bristled about the prospect of a Miami race, which would take place on the parking lot and surrounding land around Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. In August, he told ESPN, "If you are going to do a street race you have to do it properly, somewhere which resonates with people."

Then there's the issue of the $25 million in state funding COTA missed out on from the 2018 race after track representatives failed to submit a human trafficking prevention plan. The reimbursement, part of the state's Major Event Reimbursement Program, is what COTA depends on to pay F1's licensing fees.

Increased ticket sales are positive, but they won't mean nearly as much if the state money goes missing again.

"We're spending more money this year than we did last because we're having to build more structures to accommodate the people, so hopefully somebody will file the paperwork correctly this year," Epstein said.

Despite those hurdles, he's confident in the future of the Austin race past the current contract.

"COTA was specially made for Formula One," Epstein told the Statesman. "It brought the sport back to the country and has given it a permanent home. As Lewis Hamilton says, it's his favorite track. I don't know what else you could want."

F1 officials know they have a long way to go in growing the sport in the U.S., something that has been a major goal of Liberty Media, the American firm that bought F1 from Bernie Ecclestone in 2016. And while Netflix is available in 190 countries, it's no coincidence the docuseries has had an effect on the U.S. audience.

"As much as I'd prefer it wasn't, it still is a niche sport (in the United States). We knew we would potentially be putting Formula One in front of people who don't necessarily watch week in, week out," Ian Holmes, the director of media rights for F1, said of "Drive to Survive."

Even though the top two teams, Mercedes and Ferrari, refused to participate in the 10-part series, the Netflix production gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the characters and storylines that make up the sport.

Holmes said F1 talked with both Netflix and Amazon about doing a series, eventually landing on Netflix due to its commitment to capturing all of F1 rather than a single team. He said Netflix paid an undisclosed fee and footed the bill for production, done by London-based Box to Box Films.

Filming has continued in 2019, with a second season — this time featuring Mercedes and Ferrari — expected to be released on Netflix early next year.