Formula 1 raced to a strong finish in 2021, gaining the attention of a cumulative TV audience of 1.5 billion, a 4% increase compared to the 2020 World Championship season.
Globally, F1’s average total audience per race in 2021 reached 70.3 million viewers, and the motorsport championship reported growth in several key markets across the globe.
- The Netherlands saw viewership increase 81% year-over-year.
- There was a 58% uptick in U.S. viewership compared to the 2020 season.
- France reported a 48% increase year-over-year in viewership.
- Italy saw a 40% increase in year-over-year viewership.
F1’s season finale in Abu Dhabi drew an audience of 108.7 million viewers, a 28% uptick compared to 2020’s race, marking the most-watched race of the 2021 season, as 24-year-old Max Verstappen claimed his first world championship in a win over Lewis Hamilton.
Looking Ahead
Last October, F1 saw its drivers compete in the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, ending a two-year absence for the motorsport championship in North America.
The sold-out race at Circuit of Americas track recorded a 42% increase in viewership over the same race two years before and had nearly 400,000 fans in attendance.
Viewership in North America is projected to continue growing, as the U.S. will get another coveted F1 race when the Miami Grand Prix begins in May — part of a 10-year contract.
