The race, which began at 1 a.m. ET, attracted 1.3 million viewers, the third-largest F1 audience of the season on cable and sixth-largest overall on ESPN platforms this season.
Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone is stepping aside, marking an end to his decades-long reign over the international auto racing series. Ecclestone, 86, will become chairman emeritus and will be replaced as CEO by former 21st Century Fox Inc. executive Chase Carey. The leadership change was announced Monday as John Malone’s Liberty Media completed the $4.4 billion acquisition of Formula One from private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.
The deal, which begins next season, will provide more than 100 hours of programming across NBC and cable channel NBC Sports Network.
