Top 3 F1 seasons in terms of viewership (since 2011)

A recent F1 report revealed a 4% jump in unique viewers in 2021 as compared to the 2020 season. This is a good sign and a clear indicator that the sport is growing.

One of the reasons behind the growth last season was the iconic rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen as it caught the intrigue of even the casual observer.

What happened at the Abu Dhabi GP, although not the brightest spot the sport would want to find itself in, did catch the attention of non-F1 followers.

The growth trajectory for the sport is also a good time to look back into the history and see what kind of viewership F1 has had over the years.

In this piece, we will look at the top 3 seasons according to viewership in the last decade (from 2011 onwards).

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#3 2011 F1 season

The 2011 Formula 1 season was one that caught a lot of intrigue within the sport. F1 had a new world champion. More importantly, he was the youngest ever champion in the sport. The German driver was even touted to be the next Michael Schumacher during his junior years.

To add to this, the grid had a two-time world-champion in Fernando Alonso. Two British world champions in Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button driving for a British team McLaren and then, not to forget, the legend Michael Schumacher himself.

It does appear that the starpower on the grid brought fans from different strata to the sport and kept them glued to the action as Sebastien Vettel conquered the season.

#2 2012 F1 season

The 2012 Formula 1 season was one of the more famous seasons with seven different winners in the first seven races. The season featured Kimi Raikkonen's return, a title battle that went down to the wire, and Michael Schumacher's retirement.

The season also featured surprise winners like Pastor Maldonado and the rise of Sergio Perez, who contributed in bringing eyeballs from new demographics like Mexico and Venezuela.

The season was a whirlwind, high on unpredictability and thus garnered a lot of attention from the fans.

#1 2018 F1 season

Formula 1 faced a significant dip during the early Mercedes dominance years, with viewership facing a significant decline. However, the viewership saw a steep jump in the 2018 season where Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, both four-time world champions at the time, went up against each other in an intense battle at the start of the season.

While the battle did fizzle out by midseason, it does appear that the rivalry played a key role in bringing in new fans to the sport.