1.5 billion watched Hamilton vs Verstappen

More than 1.5 billion Formula One fans tuned in to watch the titanic title battle between seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull rival Max Verstappen unfold over the course of the 2021 season.

According to viewership and attendance numbers released by the sport, the cumulative TV audience for the 22-race season reached 1.55 billion, up four per cent on 2020.

Unsurprisingly, the controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Verstappen and Hamilton level on points going into the final race, drew the highest viewership of the season with 108.7 million viewers tuning in.

That was 29 per cent higher than the viewership recorded by the Yas Marina finale in 2020.

Verstappen won the drivers' title after an altered safety car restart procedure allowed him to pass race-leader Hamilton on the final lap seven corners from the finish.

With Verstappen fighting for his first title, the Netherlands registered the highest growth in cumulative viewership at 81 per cent over 2020.

The United States, where the sport has seen its popularity surge thanks in large part to Netflix show 'Drive to Survive' and which is set to host two races in 2022, also enjoyed strong growth, with viewership going up 58 per cent year-over-year.

The sport saw 2.69 million spectators attend races at the track, after COVID-19 imposed restrictions in 2020.

The US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas was the best-attended race of the season with 400,000 fans turning up over the weekend followed by the Mexican Grand Prix (371,000 fans) and Hamilton's home British Grand Prix at Silverstone (356,000 fans).

Verstappen's home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, which returned to the calendar after a 35-year absence, saw 195,000 of his orange-clad fans packing