Drive to Survive and a wave of new audiences are fuelling growing global demand for F1 tickets, with the opening round of the 2026 season at the Australian Grand Prix already highlighting a surge in first-time fans driving interest across the calendar.
Interest in the sport is also climbing sharply with searches for 2026 F1 tickets on the Viagogo platform are up 28% compared with the same point ahead of the 2025 season, suggesting momentum for the championship as the season is underway, and Viagogo, which is also an official partner of the Alpine F1 Team, has seen rising demand for race tickets across the 2026 calendar.
Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ boosts F1 ticket searches
Part of that surge is down to the cultural impact of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, the behind-the-scenes Netflix series that’s credited with introducing the sport to a broader global audience. The show has also helped widen F1’s commercial reach, attracting a whole host of new lifestyle and luxury partners, from watchmakers like IWC to spirits producers such as Glenfiddich, and TUMI luggage, which have all leaned into the sport’s expanding cultural footprint.
Following the release of the programme’s eighth season, searches for F1 tickets on Viagogo rose 17% in the week after its release compared with the week before, showing the power of conversion amongst ad viewers and fans,“Formula 1’s global rise is clearly reflected in the ticket demand we are seeing on the Viagogo platform,” said Shaun Stewart, Head of Open Distribution at viagogo.
He continues, “For the 2026 season, fans from 129 countries have already purchased tickets on Viagogo — a 12% increase in buying territories year-on-year, underlining the sport’s rapidly expanding international footprint. That growth is also being driven by new fans, with 51% of buyers for this year’s season on our platform purchasing F1 tickets for the first time. We’re also seeing searches for all races jump 28% compared to this point last year.”
The data also highlights the increasingly global nature of F1 fandom, as enthusiasts from 129 countries have already purchased tickets for races during the 2026 season through Viagogo, representing a 12% increase in buying territories compared with the same stage last year.
While the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom remain the largest markets for ticket purchases, demand across the calendar is growing, and one of the most notable movers is the Japanese Grand Prix, which has climbed 13 places year-on-year to become the third most in-demand race of the 2026 season, behind the Canadian Grand Prix and the Miami Grand Prix.
Stewart adds, “Drive to Survive continues to play a key role in driving interest, with searches on our platform rising 17% following the latest season’s release compared with the previous week. While the US, Canada and the UK remain our largest purchasing markets, the standout story is the surge in demand for the Japanese Grand Prix, up 13 places to become the third most in-demand race of 2026 behind Canada and Miami — highlighting both the sport’s global appeal and the scale of Viagogo’s marketplace. What’s impressive is that Formula 1’s audience isn’t just getting bigger, it’s also becoming more international than ever.”
Early ticket sales are already offering a clearer picture of how interest is developing across the calendar. Alongside Canada and Miami, the Australian Grand Prix has recorded a noticeable rise in demand year-on-year, while long-standing favourites such as Monaco and Italy continue to attract strong travelling support.
With fans now purchasing tickets from more countries than ever before, and more first-time racegoers heading trackside this season, the early signs suggest 2026 is shaping up to be another year of growing international interest across the championship.
(Hero and Featured image credit: Alpine F1/ Viagogo)
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
