Formula 1 TV Viewership Surges Globally

Formula 1 continues its rapid expansion into 2026, with a key metric reaching its highest point since 2020: global TV viewership.

Formula 1's global television audience continues its upward trajectory, with Brazil emerging as a standout market. An incredible 18 million viewers tuned in to watch the British Grand Prix on Globo and SporTV3 earlier this month.

This figure represents the highest audience for any Formula 1 race in a single market worldwide since 2020, and the largest viewership for the British Grand Prix in Brazil in the last eight years.

The surge in Brazilian viewership has been consistent throughout the season. Overall television audiences have grown significantly year-on-year, with some race weekends reporting up to five times higher viewership compared to 2025.

Formula 1's return to Globo's free-to-air network, after five seasons on the smaller Band network, has proven transformative, bringing the sport back to the country's most-watched television channel.

Formula 1's 71-million-strong fanbase in Brazil, the largest for any global sports league in the country, now has a local driver to rally behind in Gabriel Bortoleto.

The 21-year-old Audi driver, the first Brazilian to compete in a full season since Felipe Massa's retirement, has helped reignite national enthusiasm.

By mid-season, Formula 1's cumulative reach on Globo had already surpassed the total viewership Band achieved throughout the entire 2025 campaign.

While the structural shift to Globo largely explains the explosion in Brazilian viewership, Bortoleto's presence cannot be underestimated.

Key Markets Firing on All Cylinders

Brazil isn't an isolated case. In Italy, television viewership grew by 27% up to the British Grand Prix compared to 2025, bolstered by Ferrari's performance and Andrea Kimi Antonelli's ascent to the top of the drivers' championship.

The Japanese Grand Prix delivered the highest audience in Italy since 2017, while the Belgian Grand Prix recorded its best viewership in Italy since 2019.

In China, television viewership for the Chinese Grand Prix weekend more than doubled year-on-year, with increased coverage and a growing fanbase maintaining strong results throughout the calendar.

The Monaco Grand Prix, always the jewel in the sport's crown, reached nearly 80 million viewers worldwide, marking a double-digit increase compared to 2025.