The other F1 team championship: winning the race for followers on social media
Likes, shares, and sponsors... How far does the influence of social networks extend in the world of Formula 1? From teams to drivers, and through broadcasters, explore a digital ecosystem where the race for engagement is in full swing.
The era when Formula 1 teams’ social media was limited to light exchanges between drivers is over. Today, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms have become essential marketing tools at the heart of complex strategies aimed at increasing visibility, attracting sponsors, and ultimately generating revenue. This shift in mindset is deeply linked to the evolving F1 audience, which is younger and hyper-connected.
But how crucial a role do these applications play in the current era?
The Formula 1 audience has changed, inevitably leading to a change in team communication. It’s necessary to interact, encourage them, and maintain constant attraction to prevent their passion from waning. But most importantly, ensuring they support your team more than another is a key point.
Steve Nash, director of digital media at Haas, also explains that this influx is present 24/7 and must be leveraged. The emergence of *Drive to Survive* has exponentially increased the attention paid to F1. Faced with this constant interest, teams must produce content very regularly and adapt their communication to a younger audience, who have grown up with social media. For some fans, these social networks are even the only entry point to the sport, avid followers of race highlights and condensed driver mini-interviews on YouTube.
« There is also a category of fans who follow the sport only through social media. I’ve met people who do just that. They don’t really watch a race, they just watch the narrative. They watch the highlights on YouTube, which is unusual, but it’s a thing. So, how can we continue to tell this story to someone who might not have watched a race? » he adds to Autosport.
A scouting location for sponsors
It is a wise strategy to increase engagement in order to attract a growing fan base. However, social media now plays a crucial role in discussions with potential sponsors and collaborators, all seeking visibility in a vibrant market.
« We see brand publications on social media, in sports, and even more so in F1. You can ask them to sponsor your first practice session result or other similar things. It’s always on our minds, and it needs to be. We need to think about how we can find a good balance between all partners. » Nash explains to Autosport.
Haas’s media director believes there is a fine line between including partners in social media production and content creation.
« We have measurement tools for partners. You can register any of our partners, and you will be informed of their monetary value or what they have received in return via our publication, whether mentioned directly or indirectly. Partners have a certain number of messages recorded in their contracts, the number of messages they receive per year, which we must actually publish about them or their content. »
The problem is that sometimes, this sponsorship and these partnerships drive people away due to a lack of sincerity.
Steve Nash highlights, however, the difficulty of finding that balance between showcasing sponsors and creating authentic content likely to captivate fans.
« That’s the problem, social media has always been simply about sharing what people were doing, and now it’s a platform to build a brand, develop a brand, promote a brand, grow a team, boost fan engagement, create new fans. » he explained to Autosport magazine.
The example of the pilots
The case of Lewis Hamilton, whose follower count exploded after joining Ferrari, perfectly illustrates the weight of social media in building a driver’s brand image and the team’s value through his posts. Online presence has become essential, as emphasized by Jacques Heckstall-Smith, manager of Alex Albon, for Autosport. Social media allows drivers to interact directly with their fans, share aspects of their private life, and cultivate an accessible image, thus helping to expand the F1 audience. However, not all drivers are equally open to sharing their lives on social media, with former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel being significantly more discreet than Hamilton.
This table lists the number of subscribers of teams and F1 on different platforms:
| ECURIE | Twitter (X) | Tiktok | TOTAL | |
| Ferrari | 17.6M | 5.3M | 5.8M | 28.7M |
| Red Bull | 12.8M | 4.6M | 6.1M | 23.5M |
| Mercedes | 14M | 5M | 7.4M | 26.4M |
| McLaren | 14.4M | 4.2M | 6.2M | 24.8M |
| Williams | 4.1M | 2M | 1M | 8.1M |
| Haas | 3.1M | 1.7M | 785900 | 5.5M |
| Sauber | 2.7M | 1.5M | 516500 | 4.7M |
| Racing Bulls | 3.2M | 1.7M | 1.2M | 6.1M |
| Aston Martin | 4.8M | 2.3M | 2.3M | 9.4M |
| Alpine | 4.2M | 2.2M | 1.8M | 8.2M |
| F1 | 32.7M | 10.8M | 10.1M | 53.6M |
Jacques Heckstall-Smith, Alex Albon’s manager, explains to Autosport:
« There is no right or wrong way to approach social media, but in the current climate, it is, in my opinion, non-negotiable. You can no longer ignore social networks today. If you ignore them, then forget them. It’s not negotiable. You must accept them. You have no choice. They are now an integral part of communication, not only with your fans, the media, and your partners, but also on behalf of your own team. »
For him, all stakeholders expect social media to be taken seriously, and providing quality content that highlights the image of the driver is important. It is a very valuable tool. The online presence for a team and its associates aligns perfectly with the recent increase in the number of fans eager to interact with their favorite drivers outside of race weekends. F1 fan engagement has evolved to the point where drivers can choose to interact with them if they wish.
« I think historically, access to the drivers has been quite limited, and fans have never seen what drivers do between events or even at the team factory, adds Heckstall-Smith. « The only glimpse into their lives, their profession, is when they are on the circuit through traditional broadcasters, whereas now, the demographics, the Formula 1 audience, are not 50-60 year old men. They are teenagers and young adults who are looking for this lifestyle and want to know what this celebrity life looks like […] You can’t offer this type of access by other means than your own social networks. Some drivers are very involved in this area and are happy to share this aspect of their lives, they don’t find it too intrusive. Others are a bit more reserved and don’t want this invasion. »
We therefore understand that, to ensure the long-term success of any series, it is crucial to attract new subscribers. Social media platforms are a valuable tool for assessing progress in this area and are also beneficial in the pursuit of new business prospects.
Broadcasters are getting involved too.
Sky Sports F1 has been the broadcaster of the series in the United Kingdom and Ireland since 2012, and its coverage is now present in other markets. It’s the same in France with Canal+ Sports. Commentators and consultants interact with viewers via Instagram, asking questions and showcasing funny moments, with Julien Febreau even having a show on Twitch. Canal+’s presence on social media during F1 weekends shows lively personalities and aims not only to provide behind-the-scenes access but to encourage subscriptions to the channel. Even F1TV invites viewers to interact during the Grand Prix with questions and votes via hashtags on social media.
However, it is also essential that they have an online presence, not only to interact with their target audience of subscribers but also as a promotional tool to direct potential new customers to traditional and paid content.
They see it as both a channel for distributing exclusive content, a tool for interacting with viewers, and a lever for promoting their paid offers. The goal is to retain the existing audience, attract new fans, particularly among young people and women, and generate advertising revenue. Using Instagram, Twitch, and other platforms allows broadcasters to create closeness with their audience and boost their image. They are no longer just the voices and images of the broadcast.
« They play a really crucial role as they serve both as a content distribution channel and as a means to engage fans and enhance our live offering », Andy Gill, head of social media and audience development at Sky Sports, told Autosport.
More than just sharing moments of life, social media is a source of income for all stakeholders. Posting what one desires is no longer agreed upon. Everything is meticulously chosen, crafted, and cared for. Drivers and teams are the image of brands and the subjects of sponsors.
