Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s ninth victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the United States Grand Prix has delivered Sky Sport its highest F1 television audience in Italy since 2022. The race at the Circuit of The Americas attracted an average of 1.917 million viewers on Sky, while a further 1.251 million watched the delayed broadcast on TV8, taking the combined average audience figures across the two broadcasts to more than 3.1 million.
The impressive viewing figures reflect the considerable attention surrounding Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s pursuit of the Formula 1 World Championship. The Mercedes driver dominated the Austin race and moved to within just two points of securing his maiden world title, giving Italian fans another reason to follow what has become an extraordinary season for the young driver.
Kimi Antonelli’s Austin victory delivers Sky’s best F1 ratings since 2022
Sky Sport recorded its highest Formula 1 audience since 2022 during the live broadcast of the 2026 United States Grand Prix, which began at 9pm Italian time on Sky Sport F1, Sky Sport Uno and Sky Sport 4K.
According to the broadcaster’s audience figures, the race attracted an average total audience of 1,917,000 viewers, corresponding to a television audience share of 9.8%. It also reached 2,838,000 unique viewers, underlining the level of interest generated by Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s championship challenge.
The post-race programme, featuring the podium celebrations and analysis of the United States Grand Prix, also performed strongly. It recorded an average total audience of 688,000 viewers, as attention remained focused on the Mercedes driver’s latest victory and its implications for the championship standings.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s success was his ninth Grand Prix victory of the season, further strengthening his position at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. The Italian finished ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton completed the race in fourth place.
The result left Andrea Kimi Antonelli just two points away from the world title, with the championship battle continuing at the Mexican Grand Prix. His growing success has become a major attraction for Italian Formula 1 audiences, as the country moves closer to potentially celebrating its first Drivers’ World Champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
TV8 attracts another 1.25 million average viewers for United States GP
Strong viewing figures were not limited to Sky’s live coverage. The delayed broadcast of the United States Grand Prix on TV8, which began at 10.30pm Italian time, also attracted a substantial television audience.
TV8 recorded an average total audience of 1,251,000 viewers, representing a 10.1% audience share. The delayed broadcast also reached 2,985,000 unique viewers, demonstrating considerable interest in the race even among viewers who did not watch the live coverage.
Combining the average audiences reported separately for Sky and TV8 produces a total of 3,168,000 average viewing figures across the two broadcasts. This represents the sum of their respective audience measurements rather than a deduplicated count of individual people, since some viewers may have watched both broadcasts.
Nevertheless, the figures highlight the impressive television reach of the Austin race in Italy. With Andrea Kimi Antonelli approaching a potentially historic championship triumph, the United States Grand Prix attracted considerable attention across both live subscription television and delayed free-to-air coverage.
Sky Sport website records 4.7 million page views during Austin race day
The 2026 United States Grand Prix also generated strong results across Sky Sport’s digital platforms, extending the event’s audience beyond traditional television broadcasts.
On Sunday, SkySport.it recorded 852,000 unique users, with the website generating a total of 4.7 million page views throughout the day. Video content attracted considerable attention as well, reaching 1.2 million video views.
The broadcaster’s social media channels recorded similarly strong engagement, generating 2.7 million interactions and an impressive 36 million video views across their platforms.
These results demonstrate the scale of interest surrounding the United States Grand Prix across different forms of media. Alongside the television audience, digital coverage and social media content provided additional opportunities for fans to follow Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s victory, the race highlights and the latest developments in the championship battle.
Antonelli’s championship charge captures Italian F1 fans’ attention
The outstanding audience figures arrived during a particularly significant moment for Italian motorsport. Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s ninth victory of 2026 brought him to the brink of becoming Formula 1 world champion, an achievement that would end a wait of more than seven decades for another Italian Drivers’ Championship winner.
His victory at the Circuit of The Americas was also accompanied by a strong Ferrari performance. Charles Leclerc secured second place after overtaking Max Verstappen in the closing stages, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, giving the Italian team two cars among the top four. The Ferrari recovery during the 2026 United States Grand Prix provided another major storyline for Italian Formula 1 supporters.
The television and digital figures underline the attention surrounding a season in which Andrea Kimi Antonelli has emerged as a leading figure in Formula 1. His achievements have provided Italian audiences with a compelling championship story, while Ferrari’s continued involvement in the battle near the front has added to the appeal of the races.
With the championship now heading to Mexico, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has another opportunity to secure the title. The Italian needs only two more points to complete his championship-winning campaign, ensuring that the next Grand Prix will also carry considerable significance for fans following his progress.
How Sky measures its Formula 1 television audience
Sky’s reported total audience figures include viewing across satellite and IPTV distribution, Sky Go and NOW. This provides a broader measurement of the live and delayed broadcasts than traditional television viewing alone.
The unique viewer figures, meanwhile, refer exclusively to viewing on big-screen devices, according to the measurement definitions accompanying the broadcaster’s published results.
Using these measures, Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s United States Grand Prix victory delivered Sky’s strongest Formula 1 television audience since 2022, alongside substantial engagement through TV8, SkySport.it and Sky’s social media platforms.
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