Formula 1: an average of 934,000 viewers in the United States (ABC/ESPN) for the 2021 season (+54%)

The 2021 Formula One season has posted a record average of 934,000 viewers per race in the United States on The Walt Disney Company's ESPN (pay-TV) and ABC (free-TV) channels, according to ESPN on 12/16/2021. This figure represents a 54% increase over the 2020 season (608,000 viewers on average per race) and 39% over the 2019 season (672,000 viewers), which were both broadcast on the same channels.

The record audience for the season was posted by the Untied States Grand Prix, won by Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), which drew 1.2 million viewers on the free TV channel ABC on 24/10/2021 (race began at 15:00 US East Coast Time, 21:00 CET). This is the best audience for a Grand Prix broadcast in the USA since ESPN and ABC acquired the rights to the event in the 2018 season (see below).

On ESPN's pay-TV channels, the top-rated race of the season was the French Grand Prix, which was watched by 1.1 million viewers on Sunday 20/06/2021 (race start at 21:00 US East Coast Time, 15:00 CET). This figure also represents the second best audience for a Grand Prix broadcast on a pay-TV…