(Motorsport-Total.com) – How many spectators follow Formula 1 races directly at the track? Which race track records the largest on-site audience? And at which locations are visitor numbers developing positively, while they are declining elsewhere?
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The following article provides answers to these and other questions about the audience at the Formula 1 race tracks in the 2026 season.
An important peculiarity of the statistics must be taken into account: The official total number of spectators for a race weekend is the sum of the individual event days. Fans who are present on several days are counted multiple times accordingly. This means that the reported total number of visitors for a Grand Prix can exceed the actual daily capacity of a track.
The spectator numbers at the Formula 1 races 2026
#11: Budapest (Hungary)
The Hungarian Grand Prix equaled its spectator record from 2024 in 2026: For the second time since the track’s existence, a total of 310,000 visitors were counted – 10,000 more than in the previous year. This makes the Hungaroring currently the fourth best Formula 1 venue of the year, behind Silverstone (564,000), Spa-Francorchamps (400,000) and Spielberg (320,000).
#10: Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
According to the organizers, the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps was sold out. With 400,000 weekend visitors, it set a record for the track: The previous year’s best performance was surpassed by 11,000 spectators. This makes Spa currently number three in Formula 1 after Silverstone and Melbourne.
#9: Silverstone (Great Britain)
With 564,000 spectators, this year’s Formula 1 race weekend in Silverstone was not only sold out, but better attended than ever before. Never before have so many fans been on site at a Formula 1 event! The improvement over the previous year is also remarkable: In 2026, 64,000 more spectators came to the track than in 2025 – and that was previously a Formula 1 record (see below).
#8: Spielberg (Austria)
“320,000 – this number goes down in history.” This was announced by the Red Bull Ring on Sunday evening after the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. In fact, the event, described as “sold out,” marks a record for Spielberg: 16,000 more visitors came than in 2023, the previous record year. However, due to the great heat at this year’s race, not all fans constantly occupied their grandstand seats.
#7: Barcelona (Spain)
Spectator interest in Barcelona at the last annually held Grand Prix was greater than ever: The organizers report a total of 301,273 spectators throughout the weekend, a good 1,000 more than in the previous year. However, in 2026, the traditional circuit is only in second to last place in the unofficial spectator ranking – only ahead of Shanghai.
#6: Monaco
As previously in Miami, the organizers in Monaco merely stated that the race weekend was “sold out” but did not provide specific figures. Monaco had not provided any figures in the previous year either. The last time the circuit in the principality announced figures was in 2024: 200,000 spectators. However, this had been the standard figure in Monaco for years.
#5: Montreal (Canada)
After no official figures had been reported in Miami previously, according to Formula 1, 360,000 fans were at the track during the Canada weekend. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve thus equaled its spectator record from 2017 and 2018. In the previous year, 352,000 fans had come to the track.
#4: Miami (USA)
The organizers of the Miami Grand Prix did not provide official spectator numbers in 2026, but merely stated that the race weekend was “sold out.” Presumably, the visitor numbers were therefore at the level of previous years, when 275,000 spectators were present each time. Previously, Miami had always provided specific figures.
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#3: Suzuka (Japan)
Suzuka reported a sold-out event with 315,000 Formula 1 fans throughout the weekend. This was also 49,000 more spectators than last year, even though there is no longer a Japanese driver on the grid in 2026. Last season, Yuki Tsunoda made his debut for Red Bull at his home race.
#2: Shanghai (China)
At the third Grand Prix since the Corona pandemic, Shanghai can report spectator growth for the second time in a row: According to official figures, 230,000 visitors were present at the weekend – 10,000 more than in the previous year. However, the Formula 1 record for the Shanghai International Circuit dates back to the 2005 season, when 270,000 spectators sat in the grandstands at the second Chinese Grand Prix.
#1: Melbourne (Australia)
For the fifth time in a row, the Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne has set a spectator record: After around 465,500 fans last year, almost 484,000 visitors came to the race track this time. Only Silverstone in England had a larger on-site audience at Formula 1 races with 500,000. Melbourne is thus the new number two and displaces Mexico City from the top 10 (see below).
Largest On-Site Audience in Formula 1 2026
This overview sorts the spectator numbers of the 2026 Formula 1 season in descending order: Well-attended races are at the top, poorly attended races at the bottom. The ranking is constantly updated throughout the season with new information.
Note: Some organizers do not provide specific spectator numbers. Therefore, Miami and Monaco do not appear in this overview for 2026. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are also missing, but these races were not held at all.
How spectator numbers are developing
This overview shows the development of spectator numbers since 2022 at the individual Formula 1 venues. It is partially incomplete: Sometimes there are no values because certain Grands Prix were not always held or the organizers did not communicate figures. These fields remain empty.
The best-attended Formula 1 events
Which Grands Prix in recent Formula 1 history had the largest on-site audience? Here is the ranking of venues with the most visitors per race weekend!
New 2026:
– Melbourne displaces Mexico City (404,958) from the top 10 with 483,934 spectators
– Silverstone takes the lead with 564,000 spectators and displaces Melbourne (419,114) from the top 10
More on the topic:
The spectator numbers for the 2025 Formula 1 season
The spectator numbers for the 2024 Formula 1 season
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