Formula 1 2026: the numbers behind a record-breaking season so far

Formula 1’s 2026 growth story in numbers

Formula 1’s new era has made an immediate impact. After 11 rounds from Australia in early March to Hungary last weekend, the sport has combined overhauled regulations, debutant teams and rookie drivers with a powerful rise in audience engagement.

Five new circuit attendance records have been set: Australia with 484,000 spectators, Canada with 360,000, Austria with 320,000, Silverstone with 564,000 and Belgium with 400,000. Attendance also rose by 18% at the Japanese Grand Prix, 13% at the British Grand Prix and 7% in Austria.

Television and digital reach

The strongest television growth has come from key strategic markets. In Brazil, race-weekend audiences have reached up to five times the levels recorded in 2025. The British Grand Prix attracted a record 18 million viewers across TV Globo and SportTV3, Brazil’s largest single-market audience for any Formula 1 race globally since 2020.

Italy’s audiences are up 27% through the British Grand Prix, while the Japanese and Belgian races produced their highest Italian audiences since 2017 and 2019 respectively. In China, audiences for the Chinese Grand Prix more than doubled year on year. Globally, the Monaco Grand Prix reached nearly 80 million viewers, up by double digits on 2025.

Formula 1’s partnership with Apple is also expanding, including its first simulcast with Netflix for the Canadian Grand Prix alongside Drive to Survive.

The sport now has more than 125 million social followers, up 19% year on year. Social impressions increased 12%, video views rose 54%, and the Silverstone Drivers’ Parade LEGO activation generated 70 million views. F1.com and the F1 App added seven million hours of viewing time through expanded video content.

A younger, broader audience

More than 830 million people now follow Formula 1, 64% above 2018 figures. Women represent 42% of the audience and three-quarters of new fans, while 43% of the total fanbase is under 35.

The 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship has also grown sharply, with nearly 13 million live viewers — 72% more than in 2025 — and 269 million social media views so far.

Calendar expansion and sustainability

Host-city demand remains strong, with agreements covering Istanbul Park, Las Vegas, Barcelona, Spa-Francorchamps and Portimão. For the latest Hungarian Grand Prix perspective, see Norris’s victory and McLaren’s dramatic weekend.

F1 says it remains on track for Net Zero by 2030, having reduced its carbon footprint by 35% against the 2018 baseline. Factory and facility emissions are down 64%, logistics emissions 29%, and event-operation emissions 6% against 2018 levels.