8.1 million viewers in Germany alone

UPDATE A reader writes, 8.1 million viewers for the F1 Grand Prix in Germany is the result of not less than six drivers from Germany (Schumacher, Sutil, Heidfeld, Winkelhock, Rosberg and Vettel). Can you imagine the boost for Champ Car if we had just one German driver over there? I still remember the hype here in Germany when Arnd Meier drove for a backmarker team (Davis Racing) in the late '90s. With Andreas Wirth in a competitive car Eurosport could easily double their ratings. Tino Hermann, Germany

Dear Tino, Agree, and imagine what the USA TV ratings could be if Champ Car had more popular American drivers. Mark C.

07/23/07 8.1 million viewers/45.3 share tuned in Sunday in Germany to watch the European GP from Nurburgring. Italy had 7.9 million viewers and a 57% share. And that is just Germany and Italy, two countries much smaller than the USA. If you add up the rest of the world, the viewership numbered well over 100 million.