The finale of Formula 1's 2010 title chase in Abu Dhabi last weekend attracted huge global television audiences, with many broadcasters reporting their highest F1 viewership figures in several years.
Germany's RTL attracted an average of 10.3 million viewers for its race coverage, with a peak of 12.1 million as Sebastian Vettel clinched the championship. The broadcaster had not surpassed 10 million for an F1 race for three seasons, since Michael Schumacher's original retirement.
The Spanish stations covering Fernando Alonso's ultimately unsuccessful chase of the crown averaged nine million viewers, while Italy's Rai had an average of 10.6 million – double the 2009 Abu Dhabi audience, and giving the station a 50 percent audience share.
In Britain, the enthusiasm among audiences was slightly lower than it had been for Jenson Button's coronation in Brazil last year. That attracted 6.6 million viewers to the BBC broadcasts, while this year the figure was 5.3 million and a 40 percent share.