Sky Sports F1’s coverage of the first test of the 2015 Formula One season dropped on 2014, and was also down versus 2013, unofficial overnight viewing figures show.

The four days, excluding repeats, averaged 15k, which is down on the 2014 average of 29k and 19k from 2013. It is worth noting that the numbers exclude anyone who has watched online. Unlike last year, there were no overruns, apart from day one when there were technical difficulties with Ted’s Notebook. Interest was lower for the first 2015 test than in previous years, which does not surprise me personally, from the outside, it feels like that there is not as much interest this year as there has been previously, for whatever reason.

Day 4 did jump above 2014 levels, with an average of 26k (0.1%), compared with 18k (0.1%) last year. Below is a summary of the ratings:

– 01/02 – 18k (0.1%), peak: 25k (0.1%) – 21:00 to 21:15 and 21:30 to 21:45
– 02/02 – 7k (n/a), peak: 10k (0.1%) – 21:00 to 21:30
– 03/02 – 7k (n/a), peak: 14k (n/a) – 21:00 to 21:30
– 04/02 – 26k (0.1%), peak: 36k (0.2%) – 21:00 to 21:30

The next two tests are being held in Barcelona, which should see an improvement in numbers as we head towards round one in Australia.