108.7m tuned in for F1 Abu Dhabi finale; U.S. audience up in 2021

Formula 1 has released its audience and spectator figures for the 2021 season, with 108.7million tuning in for the final race in Abu Dhabi, although the average audience dropped due to changing television deals.

The championship decider saw Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton enter the race equal on points and had a controversial finish, with Verstappen overtaking Hamilton on the final lap to take the title. It was the most-watched race of the season at 108.7m – up 29% than the same race a year earlier – and well above the average audience per grand prix of 70.3m.

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However, that average audience figure was significantly down on 2020s total of 87.4m, which itself was down 4.5% on the previous year. This drop was driven by a move away from free-to-air broadcasting in Germany and Brazil, but F1 was keen to stress that like-for-like comparisons (excluding territories where the broadcast deal had changed) were up 13% year-on-year to an average of 60.3m.

While there were five more races in 2021, the cumulative television audience in the United States was up 58%, and TV unique viewers up 53%, helped by the return of the United States Grand Prix in Austin to the calendar and other races on a closer timezone in Mexico and Brazil.

There were 2.69m fans at races in 2021 despite a number having limited capacities or taking place behind closed doors, with Austin leading the way with its total of 400,000 spectators over the race weekend. That was one of three races to exceed 300,000, the other two being Mexico (371,000) and Great Britain (356,000) – all three beating their 2019 totals.

“The 2021 season was something very special,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said. “We had a championship battle that went to the last race with huge excitement throughout the whole championship.

“We began to welcome back our fans who are the heart and soul of our sport and although we were limited in our capacities due to COVID, it was fantastic to see 2.6 million fans in the grandstands around the world. We have also seen some very strong figures across broadcast and our digital platforms, showing once again the momentum, excitement and interest that is all around Formula 1.

“We are looking forward to our record-breaking 23 race season this year, with new cars, new regulations, and a new challenge for all the teams and drivers. I know all of our fans can’t wait to get the season started.”