The Abu Dhabi season finale had the highest figures for a single race, with 108.7 million
F1 has revealed that the 2021 season achieved a cumulative TV audience of 1.55 billion.
The season finale in Abu Dhabi, which saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen take the title ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after a controversial decision by race officials, was the most-watched race, with 108.7 million tuning in to see who would lift the drivers’ championship.
In the UK, 7.5 million were able to tune in on free-to-air, after a late deal agreed between rights holder Sky Sports and Channel 4 to air Hamilton’s attempt at a record-breaking eighth title.
The season opener in Bahrain (84.5m), and for the three Sprint weekend events at Silverstone (79.5m), Monza (80.4m) and Sao Paulo (82.1m), were also particularly strong for viewing figures. The average audience was 70.3 million, and only taking into account markets with like-for-like broadcasting arrangements for 2020 and 2021, was up 13% year-on-year.
In terms of territories, there was also growth in key markets such as the USA (+58% YoY), France (+48% YoY), Italy (+40% YoY) and the UK (+39% YoY).
Meanwhile, the F1 Esports Series broke its own viewership and engagement records in 2021, with 23 million digital views. Its flagship event, the Pro Championship, delivered 13.8 million of these views - an increase of 47% on 2020.
In terms of TV audiences there was also fast growth, with a cumulative audience of 858,000 for the Pro Championship and the Preview Show - more than three times the 2020 audience of 269,000. It was viewable through the F1 esports website, and its YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and Huya (China) channels.
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