The 2021 Formula 1 World Championship returns to the track next weekend at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with 20 drivers once again competing for the chance to win the title. Defending champion Lewis Hamilton won the season’s first race in Bahrain over pre-race favorite Max Verstappen, and is seeking his 8th championship title to overtake Michael Schumacher for the most in F1 history.
F1’s Popularity on Social
F1 drivers have some of the sporting world’s largest audiences and high engagement totals on social media. The drivers average 1.18M followers on Twitter, 1.27M on Facebook, and 2.98M on Instagram. Adoption is high in F1 as well, as 19 of the 20 drivers are on Instagram, 18 are on Twitter, and 15 are on Facebook. Sebastian Vettel is the only driver without social media. Over the past month, each of the 19 drivers on social earned over 145K engagements and grew their following by an average of 158.7K followers.
Lewis Hamilton – the Face of F1
Hamilton is the undisputed star of F1 on the track and beyond. The reigning champ leads F1 in following, engagements, and video views over the past month. His 12.1 million engagements are almost double that of the second most-engaging driver, Charles Leclerc (6.42M). Hamilton also owns a 37% follower share of all F1 drivers.
Verstappen, Bottas Chase Hamilton
Although they finished 2nd and 3rd behind Hamilton in Bahrain, Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas have been the most active drivers on social, posting 86 and 82 times respectively over the past month. Verstappen ranks 2nd among all drivers in total growth and 4th in following, while Bottas ranks 1st in total photos and total albums posted. Other notable category leaders include:
+ Yuki Tsunoda – Engagement Rate: 10.91%
+ Charles Leclerc – Total Growth: 405.2K
+ Lando Norris – Twitter Posts: 40
+ Sergio Perez – Video Views (FB & IG): 3.5M
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