F1 presents viewing figures for 2020: Enormous growth in Russia, small UK increase

Formula 1 has released the figures for the 2020 Formula 1 season. The figures are generally very good, and again an increase in the number of viewers can be seen around the world, including the United Kingdom, China and Russia. 

Since the takeover of Liberty Media, it has of course been a goal to make Formula 1 increasingly popular worldwide. The Americans are doing everything they can to push the sport more into the entertainment direction, and that is reflected in the figures after last season. On average, 87.4 million people watched a Grand Prix.

F1 proud of new figures

Although this number is 4.5% lower than in 2019, it is in line with the number of viewers over the past seasons. It is, therefore, no cause for concern that the figures have slumped somewhat. In fact, enormous growth was seen in certain countries. In Russia (71%), China (43%), the Netherlands (28%) and Great Britain (10%) the number of viewers increased compared to the previous season.

Online attention for Formula 1 is also growing. On various platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Formula 1 grew by no less than 99%. “Last year was an unprecedented time for everyone and Formula 1 had to adapt to the challenges presented by the pandemic. We delivered 17 races, something many thought impossible earlier in the year. We did it safely and brought excitement and new races to our fans around the world," Stefano Domenicali said in his statement.

"The audience figures for 2020 show the strength and resilience of our sport, with average audience figures in 2020 at 87.4m and a total season cumulative audience of 1.5bn. We had strong growth figures in China, the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and the USA, combined with the huge boost in our digital figures."