That the new Formula 1 does not please anyone is increasingly becoming an empirical fact. The audience data for the Japanese Grand Prix are alarming. 49% of the people who watched Formula 1 a year ago no longer watch it. It has only taken three races for the new Formula 1 regulations to drive away half of its audience.
The FIA has announced an urgent meeting for April, during which there will be no races, to study changes in the Formula 1 regulations that could solve this widespread disengagement with the new races. Some rumors even speak of changing these engines as soon as possible and returning to something more conventional.
The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix was the least watched in seven years
63,000 spectators. This was the paltry audience figure for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix in Spain, according to ‘El Señor de los Medios’ on his Twitter account. In other words, a 49% drop in viewers compared with last year’s Japanese Grand Prix, which drew 124,000 people—almost twice as many.
Even worse was the qualifying data, where only 24,000 viewers woke up early to find out who took pole position at Suzuka. And the trend is worrying. We have only had three Formula 1 races this season, but the percentage of audience loss has been increasing exponentially.
The Australian Grand Prix lost 9% of its audience compared to last season, staying at 70,000 spectators. In China the audience loss rose to 26%, with 126,000 people watching. In Japan the aforementioned 49% has been reached. One in two people who watched Formula 1 a year ago no longer watches it.
Obviously the poor performance of Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and the issues of Carlos Sainz’s Williams will have contributed to the slump in interest in Spain, but there is much more beneath the surface. The trend is global, and this new technical regulation is already the greatest failure in Formula 1.
To that extent, the FIA will study an express rule change during the April break. For the moment only patches to gloss over this disastrous regulation will be proposed, but paddock rumors already speak of a radical engine change, restoring V6 or V8 with a greater share of thermal power and far fewer batteries.
We will see if when they decide to implement these changes it is not too late and Formula 1 has already kicked out its most loyal fans.
Images | Formula 1, Williams
