Formula 1 has seen a dramatic rise in viewership over the last few years. Sports analysts and experts often credit the Netflix series “Drive to survive” for the notable surge in F1 audiences. Interestingly, Alpine driver Esteban Ocon dropped a bold claim that Formula 1 can overtake Football in terms of pubic engagement.

After Liberty Media took over the commercial rights of F1 in 2017, they have made a series of changes, including a budget cap and measures to make prize distribution fairer than the existing system. The 2021 F1 season invited a lot of traction, growing exponentially towards the end. As per the data from ESPN, “963,000 viewers on ESPN2 watched Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton on the last lap to win the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship.”

The same data suggests that the 2021 season average was up 54 percent over the 2020 season and up 39 percent vs. the 2019 season average. The 2021 season saw six different Grand Prix winners, which added to the competitive spirit of the sport. Though the title fight at the front of the grid invited the most traction, other mid-field battles mixed perfectly to create an ideal season.

This changing nature of F1 has also given rise to hectic work schedules and money-derived politics, which invites regular criticism as well. However, Ocon believes F1 is making strides in the right direction. The Alpine F1 team itself helped the name-sake brand see tremendous growth in sales in 2021.

Esteban Ocon believes Formula 1 will overtake Football

The French driver became a Grand Prix winner in 2021. Ocon cruised his Alpine to see the chequered flag during the Hungarian GP. Alpine had a strong 2021 season, finishing 5th in the constructors’ standings, ahead of rival Alpha Tauri. Management changes made under the ambitious Renaulution strategic plan paid off well for the team.

In a recent interview reported by Motorsport-Total, Ocon discussed the changing scenarios in F1 and its future prospects, “I can still remember 2017 and 2018. A sixth-place felt like a victory. You just didn’t have a chance of a podium finish or a lead lap. We saw a lot of different cars on the podium. That’s great, and that’s exactly how it should be.”

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“If the cars are closer together, then Formula 1 can even overtake football in terms of tension. Because everyone is talking about Formula 1. I have friends who hadn’t dealt with it before, but now they’re fully involved,” added the Frenchman.

The viewership data from the last few years bolsters his claims. Now, fans are eagerly waiting for the upcoming 2022 F1 season to kick-start in Bahrain in March. After a thrilling last season, excitement for the next one is adding up with each passing day.

F1 drivers will be behind the wheel for the winter testing of the 2022 cars. Tell us how excited are you to see your favorite stars zipping through the tracks.

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