Race that marked the return of F1 a was only beaten by the Hungarian GP
The 2020 F1 Portuguese GP, in which the Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) became the driver with the most victories in Formula 1, it was the second race in the motorsport premier class with the largest television audience in 2020.
The race held at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (AIA), in Portimão, on October 25, and which marked the return to Portugal of F1, twenty-four years later, registered a television audience of 100.5 million of spectators in the world and was only beaten by the Hungarian GP that counted 103.7 million, as revealed by the organization of the World Cup.
In this hierarchy, there follows the Bahrain race (98.1 million audience), disputed when Hamilton had already secured the seventh world champion title, and the Turkish GP (89.1 million), proof where the Mercedes driver revalidated the scepter.
In a season largely affected by the covid-19 pandemic, and with four fewer races than in 2019, Formula 1 had an average television audience of 87.4 million viewers, minus 4.5% than in 2019.
“The average audience for the 2020 season was largely influenced by the races in Europe and the Gulf, which means that several regions did not receive their GPs, race hours were not always suitable for some markets and the usual assistance for specific races did not occur ” , explained the organizer of the World Cup.
In total, Formula 1 estimates 1,500 million cumulative audience, 400 million less than in 2019, a season in which it had 21 races and not 17.
“ We are proud of what we achieved in 2020 and we know that we have an incredibly strong fan base s, that can grow your audience in the years to come. We are pleased that our fans are happy with our sport, our season, and the way they responded to the global pandemic ” , stated the president and executive director of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicali.
The 2021 season, the 72nd of the ‘great circus’ is scheduled to start on 28 March, in Bahrain, and end scheduled for December 12, with the 23rd stage, in Abu Dhabi.
Portugal integrates the calendar 2021, but, according to the president of the Portuguese Federation of Automobile and Karting (FPAK), Ni Amorim , the return of Formula 1 to Portugal , in May, is still open and dependent on “there is a public” or, “there cannot be an audience, Government support “ .