ITV1's coverage of the Canadian F1 Grand Prix was watched by 4.6m viewers and a 29.6% share of audience, enough to win its slot between 5pm-8pm, according to unofficial overnight figures.
The commercial broadcaster's F1 coverage normally hovers around the 2m-3m mark, while previous seasons have suffered alarming dips largely because of former world champion Michael Schumacher's dominance of the sport in successive years.
However, ITV1's F1 coverage has enjoyed a revival this season as viewers tune in to watch the early races of Hamilton's record-breaking career. The McLaren driver has already set a record by winning podium positions in his first five races and now leads the driver's championship by eight points in his debut season.
ITV1's new drama 'Talk to Me', which stars Max Beesley as a charmer who falls for the one woman he can not have, made a strong debut last night, pulling in 4.2m viewers and a 19.9% share of audience in a one-hour slot starting at 9.30pm.
Channel 4's eighth series of 'Big Brother' has tailed off following a temporary spike in viewing figures last week, created by the race row and eviction of contestant Emily Parr. Last night's instalment pulled in just 2.4m viewers and a 11.6% share of audience in a one-hour slot starting at 9pm.
On Saturday, BBC One's 'Any Dream Will Do' bowed out with massive viewing figures on the last night of its run.
The reality series, which is based around the search for a Joseph to star in a new version of the West End musical, pulled in 6.6m viewers and a 33.7% share.
The concluding part of 'Any Dream Will Do' between 10pm-10.30pm attracted an even bigger audience, with 7.6m viewers and a 35.3% share.
The series went to head to head with ITV1's 'Grease is the Word', which also concluded its search for actors to reprise the roles of Danny and Sandy on the West End stage. However, 'Grease is the Word' was soundly trounced by the its BBC rival. It was watched by 4m viewers and a 20.6% share of audience in the same slot, which was consistently beaten by 'Any Dream Will Do' throughout its run.
ITV will be hoping its new reality series, 'Britain's Got Talent', fares better than 'Grease is the Word', following its success in the US.
The show, which features Piers Morgan, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden on its judging panel, pulled in 4.9m viewers and a 22.8% share in its first episode.
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