Channel 4’s Formula One debut left the grid with 2.1 million viewers, around a million fewer than watched the opening race highlights on BBC1 last year.
The lunchtime highlights package of the Australian Grand Prix, the first of the new season, had an average of 2.1 million viewers, an 18.6% share, from 1.30pm on Sunday.
It was down from the 3 million viewers (27.7%) who watched the Sunday lunchtime highlights of the race last year on BBC1.
But Channel 4’s two and a half hours of coverage, fronted by Steve Jones and David Coulthard, was around twice as long as BBC1’s highlights last year, and peaked with 2.7 million viewers.
The F1 audience was also enough to help Channel 4 to an all-day win over ITV on Sunday, with an 8% all-hours share of the audience, ahead of ITV, on 7%.
The race was won by Nico Rosberg with teammate Lewis Hamilton in second.
Channel 4, which swooped to pick up the free-to-air rights after they were dropped by the BBC, said it won the 1.30pm to 4pm slot for all individuals, 16 to 34s and ABC1s.
