Sky Takes the Top Spot on the Podium with Kimi Antonelli: Best Viewership for Formula 1 Since 2022
Formula 1 on Sky posted its highest viewership since 2022 thanks to Kimi Antonelli’s ninth victory of the season at the United States Grand Prix. The race, which brings the Italian driver closer to the world title—broadcast live at 9 p.m. on Sky Sport F1, Sky Sport Uno, and Sky Sport 4K—drew an average total audience* of 1,917,000 viewers, with a 9.8% share* and 2,838,000 unique viewers**. The post-race show, featuring the podium celebration and analysis, drew an average total audience* of 688,000 viewers.
The 10:30 p.m. delayed broadcast on TV8 also delivered excellent ratings, with an average total audience* of 1,251,000 viewers, a 10.1% share*, and 2,985,000 unique viewers**.
The COTA race also achieved excellent results on Sky Sport’s digital channels, with 852,000 unique users on Sunday on SkySport.it, where page views totaled 4.7 million and video views reached 1.2 million. Sky’s social media channels recorded 2.7 million interactions, with 36 million video views.
At the Circuit of the Americas, the 18th round of the 2026 World Championship, the Mercedes driver from Bologna dominated after securing pole position, demonstrating overwhelming superiority over the rest of the grid in both speed and tire management. The team’s one-stop strategy proved decisive, making Antonelli unbeatable for his rivals. Charles Leclerc finished behind him in his Ferrari, while George Russell, the World Championship leader’s teammate, finished in eighth place.
It was Russell’s finish that forced Antonelli to postpone his title celebration by one week. In Mexico, the Mercedes driver will become world champion if he finishes at least ninth, but even a tenth-place finish could be enough if Russell does not win. Antonelli could still be crowned champion even if he retires, provided that neither Russell nor Lewis Hamilton wins the race.
Satisfied after the race, Kimi explained: “I’m very happy; it was the result we needed. The whole team deserved it, because we’ve worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks to fine-tune the latest update package.” Regarding the race, he added: “Our execution was flawless: a perfect one-stop strategy—we’re glad it worked out; it was a great team effort. The title? We’re very close now, but I’d like to finish on a high note by winning more races.”
Among the many congratulatory messages was one from Jannik Sinner, a huge Formula 1 fan. The world’s number-one tennis player, sidelined due to a knee injury sustained after the Wimbledon final, posted a video of Antonelli’s celebrations on Instagram, writing: “Congratulations on another victory, Kimi,” followed by “awesome” accompanied by a heart and the Italian flag. In the days leading up to the race, the young driver had also received high praise from Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, who compared him to Michael Schumacher: “He drove at Michael Schumacher levels.”
