Formula 1's popularity has skyrocketed in recent years

F1 grew massively in terms of followers across all social media platforms in 2021, with a 40 percent increase in following over all sites, bringing the total number to 49.1 million followers. Video views increased by 50 percent to 7 billion, and visits to the F1 official website were up 44 percent, with over 7 billion

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The last race in Abu Dhabi was viewed by almost 100 million people.

Formula One has seen exponential growth in recent years, with an increasing number of fans around the world becoming addicted to the high-octane sport.

The final race of the 2021 championship produced the ultimate drama as Max Verstappen took Lewis Hamilton’s championship from him in the last lap at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi.

Mercedes did win their eighth constructor’s championship, but Red Bull denied Hamilton an eighth driver’s championship in what was a day full of controversy, drama and emotion.

Championship organisers have released the annual viewing figures and attendances for the 2021 season, and what stands out is the 108.7 million people who watched the final race in Abu Dhabi – a 29 percent increase on the previous year and the highest figure for all of last season.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, has compared the race at Yas Marina to the biggest sporting events in the world.

“The 2021 season was incredible,” he said.

“F1 surpassed the Superbowl and the final race was only second to the final of the European Championships.”

The total TV audience throughout 2021 was 1,550 million, which is a 4 percent increase on the 2020 season, with the Bahrain Grand Prix attracting the most viewers (84.5 million), followed by the British Grand Prix (79.5 million), the Italian Grand Prix (80.4 million) and the Brazilian Grand Prix (82.1 million).

F1 grew massively in terms of followers across all social media platforms in 2021, with a 40 percent increase in following over all sites, bringing the total number to 49.1 million followers.

Video views increased by 50 percent to 7 billion, and visits to the F1 official website were up 44 percent, with over 7 billion.

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Dan Dunn

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