Even through a global pandemic, F1 became one of the few industries to experience an increase in its social media audience. The sport went to the extent of beating Bundesliga, NBA, NFL and UFC by a large margin, with approximately 430 million fans globally in contrast to the NFL, with only 410 million fans. The sport continues to expand, with numbers growing closer to that of golf, rugby, and baseball, with almost 500 million fans globally. As of 2019, F1 were confirmed to have been the fastest growing sports league digitally. Covid did however, impact the sport, forcing the FIA to reduce 23 races to a mere 17 resulting in a significant loss of profit, yet the sport still managed to maintain an average viewership of 87.4 million viewers per GP. Upon the lockdown, the sport was quick to utilise any possible assets, forming a Virtual Grand Prix series, consisting of eight virtual GPs, Pro Exhibition Races and #ChallengeEvents which achieved a record breaking 30 million views across TV and digital platforms throughout the duration of the lockdown. The purpose of the series was to enable fans to continue viewing races virtually, despite the ongoing pandemic, while racing was not possible. Over half the F1 grid participated, with 11 drivers competing in at least one race throughout the series. To further utilise the opportunity, the drivers were joined by a host of recognisable faces, including a Ryder Cup winner, professional footballers, and music chart toppers. In doing this F1 attracted enthusiasts from various fandoms to revel in the sport. These virtual GPs reached 21.8 million views across digital platforms alone, including the official F1 YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook channels, as well as Weibo and Huya in China. TV viewership estimates suggest the GPs accumulated a further 5 million views through broadcast partners in over 100 countries. Formula 1’s success throughout the lockdown enabled a 35% year on year follower growth across all platforms, with a 99% Year on Year engagement (the engagement of the sport compared with the engagement of previous years) growth between 2019 and 2020, across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, reaching a social following of 35 million across all platforms, in contrast to Formula E, which had a -14% decrease. 

The series enabled a number of drivers to engage with fans on a more personal level, boosting their profile on a wider scale, especially drivers Leclerc, Russell, Norris, and Albon who later formed the Twitch Quartet.

The Formula 1 Esports series (a professional esports programme promoted by F1, created in 2017 to involve the official F1 video game and its community of players, providing a new avenue for greater engagement with Formula 1) experienced a record breaking number of viewers in 2020, achieving a total of 11.4 million live streams globally, signifying an impressive 98% YOY increase. The series further attained 291 million total social media impressions, reflecting a grand 151% YoY increase as well as 23.8 million video views, up by 29% since 2019, which was largely attributed to the company's robust social media output. During the pandemic, competitions became progressively popular, allowing select winners to have video chats with drivers. This provided fans with the opportunity to communicate directly to their favourite racers, asking questions and engaging with them on a personal level. Interactive media such as video games improved fans' overall experiences, providing them with a feeling of escapism and motivation, immersing fans in the action so they too could experience the highs and lows alongside their favourite drivers.

During the pandemic, the Twitch Quartet, composed of some of the youngest drivers on the grid - Lando Norris (McLaren, 23), George Russell (Mercedes, 24), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, 25), and Alex Albon (Williams, 26) - gained immense popularity. The quartet played a variety of games online, streaming on twitch while interacting with fans, providing a window into their daily lives. Their relatable approach, playing video games like ordinary young adults was welcoming and refreshing, a change from the tense racing atmosphere these young racers were always surrounded by. By utilising Twitch’s broad audience base - including those interested in games like Call Of Duty, Fortnite, Minecraft and others - the quartet was able to expand their reach beyond the traditional racing audience, attracting new viewers through their engaging personalities. In addition to maintaining a connection with their existing fans, the quartet’s online presence helped them expand and appeal to a wider audience. Lando Norris individually has more than 15 million views on his Twitch profiles, with a particular livestream hosted in March 2020 reaching over 70,000 concurrent viewers, becoming the most watched stream on the entire platform that day. The Sky Sports F1 team also saw potential in the group, producing a video of the quartet competing in a lighthearted quiz which hit 4.2million views on YouTube. The F1 social media accounts also leveraged the popularity of the quartet, producing short 20 second reels and video clips featuring highlights of the streams to post on platforms. By taking to Twitch, one of the most popular, high concentrated platforms of the younger generation, the sport reached out to more potential fans with a passion for gaming.

The most eminent component of Liberty Media's strategy is Drive To Survive (DTS), a Netflix docu-series which took onlookers behind the scenes of the sport, allowing them to see the action and drama, including team rivalries and on track racing. The series brought fans together and was intimate, making consumers feel connected with the teams and drivers as if they knew them on a much more personal level. The show was widely credited for bringing a new audience to Formula 1 and driving mainstream attention. DTS was released through Netflix on March 8 2019 and focused on the F1 championships from the 2018 season. The move was tactical: Netflix is positioned as the platform with the largest number of subscribers in the entire world and has a considerable number of users between 18 to 25 years old, with young people consuming the most content, conveniently the demographic F1 intended to cater to. The action was beneficial for both parties, Netflix and F1, as it achieved major success, and has now been renewed for a fifth and sixth season. The series was a result of LM's extensive efforts to create appealing storytelling universally with a range of methods from social media to in person advertisements. Once the series went live, ESPN viewership jumped by 55%, from 547,722 viewers in 2019, to 934,000 in 2021. It must be acknowledged that it is difficult to judge the extent of the growth of F1’s representation through the media down to any one particular factor, however the increase itself is noteworthy, especially since it occurred after such a popular show was launched on Netflix. The growth of DTS is reinforced by a quote from the president of motorsports ‘The success of Netflix Drive To Survive documentary series has been to open the sport up to new, younger and more diverse audiences, making the sport more accessible’ the president acknowledges that the purpose of the series has been achieved. According to research and analytics director Matt Roberts, F1 has ‘The greatest proportion of under 25s of all global sports leagues, with the exception of the NBA’, ticking off all requirements; a new, younger and more diverse audience. The successful show was streamed in over 1 million households in the UK within the span of the first 28 days of the release, and still continued to rapidly increase, having released a fourth season on the 11th March 2022, with over 4 million viewers streaming it throughout the opening weekend. Additionally, the 2021 global F1 Fan survey had over 160,000 responses as well as its highest female participation ever - 18% of respondents, compared to the mere 10% four years ago.

Although DTS played a key part in bringing F1 to where it stands today, it would not have succeeded, without the other carefully planned tactics used to support it. DTS was only the apex of a solidly built pyramid, and without all other efforts invested in advertising, it is unlikely the series would be as successful as it is today - the reason why other race series such as Formula E’s fanbase growth failed. Other documentaries, such as Schumacher, Life on the Limit, and Williams, all undoubtedly fuel the popularity of the sport, showing the human side of F1.

F1 even has their own podcast: ‘F1: Beyond The Grid’, in which the well known drivers share their experiences and untold stories. Many television programs (e.g. Sky Formula Sports, Channel 4 and F1 Tv) and apps are also dedicated to F1, allowing fans to tune into content whenever, wherever, and however they want. Apple recently announced a new F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt. As well as the new content from Apple, Hulu has formed a deal for a new half hour scripted series in partnership with Daniel Ricciardo, former McLaren driver. Content is a key driving force and the upcoming Apple and Hulu projects continue to provide that. Companies such as Apple and Hulu investing in such projects reflects how big brand companies and media rights buyers such as Disney (via ESPN) have spotted an opportunity for growth in F1. The new upcoming movie featuring Brad Pitt is to be shot around real race events in order to capture drivers in action. With the producer of the hit film ‘Top Gun Maverick’ and actor Brad Pitt, the film will undoubtedly become a significant promotional tool. Digital media such as the official F1 app and twitter coverage allows fans to connect with the sport instantaneously. The app includes the live streaming of races, leaderboards, and videos as well as interviews with drivers. Since 2019, the total number of users on the app went up by 26% to 70.5 million. A statistic illustrating the F1 racing TV viewers worldwide from 2008 to 2021 reflected that the global audience of 2021 stood at 445 million viewers, an increase of roughly 3% to the previous year, showing the sport’s ever increasing popularity. Within the US, the NBC withdrew their previous offer of 40 million per year for 7 years in order to gain F1 rights, as they were intimidated by Liberty Media’s launch of the F1 App. As a result, ESPN won the rights to the sport without having to pay a fee. The partnership between ESPN and F1 was effective as the US Formula 1 group saw a 58% increase in cumulative viewership over the previous year.

The role of media within companies has changed, becoming an essential way to keep fans/consumers engaged by providing meaningful and entertaining content to retain their attention. By using various social media platforms, F1 successfully brought fans closer in order to provide them with a more immersive experience. To achieve this successfully, F1 posted more content which included behind the scenes footage as well as interviews pre-race. Social media has become a tactic to help teams and drivers generate more partnerships and sponsors by weaving advertisements throughout their content stream, and the use of social media allowed news about the sport to be released efficiently, allowing viewers to remain connected to their favourite teams, sponsors and drivers. 

Social media has most definitely had an impact on F1. From January 1, 2021 to August 15, 2021, F1 has attained 25 million fans and followers, which is a 33% year over year (YOY) increase while the average in other sports was only a 10% increase. Furthermore, there were a total of 52K posts related to the sport, resulting in a 35% YOY increase, and 4.9 billion interactions as well as video views, totalling a 50% YOY increase. This may be as a result of the global pandemic, which resulted in a surge of social media usage. However, it is important to note that the 2020 calendar featured only 5 races, compared to the 11 from the 2021 range. To expand further, F1 created a youtube channel to engage and reach out to a younger audience. YouTube enabled the company to upload long videos in high quality, as well as promoting fan interactions from users across the globe, making the platform perfect for releasing exceptional content regarding the sport, races, statistics and analytics.

The raw and honest content produced on the channel was extremely popular with fans as it felt genuine, building a sense of trust between the sports and their viewers. This trust was essential; if customers/fans trust your company, not only will they be more likely to follow it, but will also invest their money into it, which is the ultimate aim of all businesses. The channel published ‘race highlights’ after every GP, which summarised everything that occurred in short, 8 minute clips featuring the best action. The business also recently began producing a series of videos named ‘Chasing The Dream’, revolving around the F2 2023 season, providing a behind the scenes view into F2. By doing this, the sport enables consumers to build strong bonds with young F2 drivers who may proceed to participate in Formula 1 in coming years, allowing fans to join their favourite drivers on their journey to the top leagues - a truly memorable experience. Another popular upload is the yearly ‘Secret Santa’, which revolves around the entire grid playing secret santa, revealing their gifts. While F1 does produce content for casual fans who enjoy races, the company also produces more scientific and technological videos, a popular series being ‘Tech Talk’ with featured videos on the Drag Reduction System (DRS) as well as car suspension, and how these individual components all work to form the car we see racing down tracks. Tech Talk focuses on the underlying technology of F1, while analysing the way in which it works, allowing those who are interested to gain a better understanding of the backbone which carries the sport. Furthermore, the channel also provides onboard footage, featuring compilations of race footage onboard cars, from the perspectives of different drivers. This is especially popular when featuring race action such as collisions or skilled overtakes. After ‘race highlights’ listicle videos generate the most views. These include titles such as ‘Top 10 moments of pitlane drama’ or ‘Top 10 funniest F1 press conferences’, which use a combination of recent and past footage. Backstories are also popular on the F1 YouTube channel. Published after almost every race, these videos focus on a specific driver, discussing their performance and experience of the race. By doing this, the company capitalises on the popularity of individual drivers and builds on it. Claire Cronin of McLaren stated ‘customers nowadays can see through any kind of badging exercise and they can see that it’s inauthentic’. Cronin recognised that the audience wanted an authentic, raw interaction, not something fabricated and ingenuine, and this is what made Formula 1 succeed. 

Other social media platforms were formed; the F1 Instagram account has 16 thousand posts, as well as 22.6 million followers as of early 2023. New content such as photos and videos that are often unpublished are uploaded daily as well as constant interactions with users. Twitter and Instagram are effective ways of keeping fans updated with the latest news, race updates and merchandise drops. Throughout 2021, 42% of all posts from drivers, teams, and the series were through twitter; however, only 6% of fan interactions and video views occurred on those tweets, while the other 94% occurred on other platforms. In contrast, Instagram was more popular, with 23% of all posts, the most fan engagement, and the total average sponsorship per post. The company used their online voice which is essential to build relationships with fans and increase their following. The F1 account made effective use of twitter by using a casual and conversational language style, often with emojis and hashtags, which are commonly associated with internet talk, as well as slang to connect with younger users. Speaking in a colloquial tone on social media is particularly important for brands that want to appeal to younger demographics - millennials and gen Z are the biggest consumers of social media, and they tend to favour brands that speak to them in a language they understand and relate to. By using slang, memes, and popular culture references, corporations can connect with younger audiences and build brand loyalty. Teams that mimic the language of the target demographic make themselves appear more relatable, building a strong connection with their audience. It shows the Business making a constant effort to communicate in the audience's own language, making them feel important and valued. Using the same language as consumers encourages two way interactions, a key purpose and objective of social media. Pre-race, the F1 account begins an Instagram live, building up excitement for the race with additional images and interviews with drivers, keeping fans excited and engaged about the upcoming spectacle.

Many drivers, fans and experts of the sport dedicate their time to produce quality content around Formula 1, including news, developments, incidents, analysis, and projections by event. The platform ‘TikTok’ brought fans from across the globe together, and is highly concentrated with the young audience (10 - 29 year olds make up for 47.4% of all users on the app), making it suitable to aim at the younger generation. The app brought all content creators of the sport - fans, journalists, and professionals together to share their adoration for the sport they loved, including the raw reactions and arguments that take place during and after each GP. It has been proven that these interactions are what fans relate to, and attract more viewers- the controversial finish to the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP brought 108.7million viewers, which was a 29% increase to the 2020 GP. Fans, reporters and journalists all flocked to social media to explain what had taken place, discussing their opinions on the matter. 

Liberty Media was left to confront F1’s fall from 600 million viewers to 352.3 million viewers in 2017. However, once Liberty took over, the sport began to increase in popularity once more, jumping up to 490.2 million viewers, only for it to drop to 433 million during 2020 and 2021, in the apogee of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, viewership has begun to steadily rise again, and is expected to continue to, reflecting Liberty's significant impact on the sport and the way it connected with its fans. The official F1 owned account generated 60% of interaction and video views, while teams generated 29% and drivers a mere 11%. An analysis of data showed that better performance on track resulted in higher fan engagements on social media - for example, the top 4 teams leading the constructor standings had the most social media followers as well as total engagement in 2021. Of all teams, Aston Martin grew its social media presence the most, by 47%, due to their welcoming interactions online.

An essential aspect of social media is Lewis Hamilton. LH, a 7x World Champion (WDC) in line with racing legend Michael Schumacher is one of the most historic, influential and inspiring people of all time. Having a well known public figure or celebrity associated with a corporation(such as LH) can significantly increase engagement and help to build a connection with consumers. Not only is Hamilton one of the most successful racers in the history of F1, but he is also a well known public figure with a strong social media presence. His success on track and personal life have helped build him a significant following, with 32.2 million followers on instagram alone. By having LH as the face of F1, the sport is able to tap into his large following and use his popularity to expand engagement with fans, regularly posting about his experiences on and off track, providing a behind the scenes look into the world of F1. This not only gives fans an inside view of the sport, but also helps build a personal connection between Hamilton and his followers. The sport has also embraced this approach by incorporating Hamilton into their marketing campaigns and media coverage. They use Hamilton’s popularity to promote the sport and showcase the exciting experience that can be had by following F1. Overall, having a well known public figure associated with a corporation can help increase engagement and build a connection with consumers. 

Hamilton is an incredibly valuable asset that generates income economically, through followers and new fans, and looking at 2021 statistics, one can see he leads social media as the most followed driver, having 4x more followers and 2x more fan engagement than any other driver. He posts more regularly than the majority of drivers, however the likes of Valtteri Bottas(AlphaRomeo) and Max Verstappen(RedBull) both averaged at over 2 posts per day. During 2021, 9 drivers gained over a million followers, including Hamilton(Mercedes), Ricciardo(Ex-McLaren), Norris(McLaren), Verstappen, Perez(RedBull), Leclerc(Ferrari) and Gasly(Alpine). Lando Norris, driver for McLaren, has become particularly influential, catching the eyes of many, including youtubers such as Sidemen member Vikstar and Beta squad member Nikolas Omilana, who have both been seen behind the scenes in the McLaren garages in 2022. While some drivers are comfortable providing fans with a window into their personal lives, others are very confined, keeping their personal lives to themselves, such as Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. Both prefer to keep their work and private lives separate, away from the prying eyes of the media. Vettel himself only joined social media in 2022, to announce his retirement from the sport. 

In another attempt to tackle the dilemma of separation from fans, F1 targeted potential fans by releasing campaigns featuring unique view points. The aim of these campaigns was to challenge the sport’s perceptions by showing, through the eyes of fans, what F1 really feels like. The first campaign released upon LM’s takeover was named ‘Engineered Insanity’, placing fans at the heart of the action, providing them with the experience of being in the driver’s seat. The campaign had high impact out of home advertising, featuring proximity in airports, city posters, hand painted murals, and extensive social and digital channels. A second campaign named ‘Man vs Machine’ was released as a tribute to all members of the engineering teams which helped form the cutting edge technology of F1. The director of F1 Marketing, Ellie Norman stated the campaigns ‘switch the focus away from our own echo chamber, instead spotlighting why our fans love this sport’. In doing this, the business centralised the fans and put them first, making them feel valued and important. Norman proceeded to say ‘If we think about the audience we want to reach, and getting to a new audience, it’s about creating content that’s going to resonate and engage with them on their level’. She understood that in order to connect with fans on a more intimate and personal level, the company had to communicate with them in a language they understood - digital communication. To gain feedback from this campaign, the sport tracked engagement, video views and resharing, using this to understand what their consumers desired. However, while positive and above the industry norm, Matt Roberts(global research director of F1) said ‘outside of avid fans, not many casual or non F1 fans saw the ad’. Although the event had been targeted and distributed specifically towards those under 25, the campaign had not encouraged the growth of the sport significantly. Esports however, was much more successful, with 80% of viewers being under 35.