Sebastian Vettel's reign cost F1 50 million viewers

London: Sebastian Vettel's domination of Formula One has played a significant role in the loss of 50 million television viewers over the past year, according to supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

That view comes following the publication of F1's global media report for 2013, which measures the number of people who have watched more than 15 non-consecutive minutes of the sport during the season.

Twelve months ago, Formula One Management did not publish a total figure, although it was estimated to still be half-a-billion, a drop of around 15 million from the confirmed 2011 figure of 515 million. This year, however, FOM has not shied away from revealing a sharp 10% drop in its audience.