Over the last 6 months I’ve taken an interest in Formula One, and in an ideal world that would be where this conversation ends.
However, since I started opening up about my interest, chatting with different people and moving into the online F1 space, I’ve noticed that there is a lot of negative energy around becoming a fan. It’s not even the issue that I’m a female fan, just that I’m new to the sport.
So my big question: Is this a universal experience for people looking to get into watching F1?
Over the last 6 months I have been pulled into the whirlwind which is Formula One. From simply stumbling on Netflix’s Drive to Survive, following drivers and teams on Social Media, falling into F1 Tik Tok, and finally watching with bated breath every weekend to see who would snatch the win, I think it’s safe to say I am now a fan.
I am a very passionate, competitive and curious person. I enjoy finding new things that encourage my competitiveness and surrounds me with a group of people who are equally as passionate about the topic.
I enjoy the competition side massively, especially the complexities around it. Not only is it who wins each Grand Prix, it’s about the individual that wins the Driver’s Championship and the team that wins the Constructor’s. They’re fighting for money, bragging rights, and their own individual goals, and week after week, it is so refreshing to see just how proud each driver is when they stand on the podium. There are times where their own teams screw them over with incorrect strategy decisions, or they choose the wrong tyre to start on. There are so many variables which makes this more than a win-lose situation, but it’s not necessarily only down to the skill of the driver, or how quick the car is, it’s a culmination of everything.
Popularisation & Media
The most interesting aspect of F1 which I have now found is what some people on X are calling the ‘popularisation’ or ‘marketisation’ of Formula One. They are referring to the increased Media surrounding F1, Netflix’s documentary, Bradley Cooper’s film, F1 team’s marketing strategies, and the overall somewhat ‘new’ perception of the sport. I have spoken to a few people who were Formula One fans before there was this massive media presence, and they have made their view very very clear: Formula One was better when the media wasn’t this big.
This is a really difficult topic, especially as I can’t really provide a perspective of what it was like prior to its surge in popularity. I think one of the biggest pain points is how quickly it’s becoming inaccessible for the everyday person, especially with ticket pricing for the Grand Prix. Silverstone is my home race, and I am lucky enough to know a few people who won paddock tickets through work and were able to go. When I asked what their experience was like, they spoke about the sheer quantity of influencers and social media personalities present. This sentiment was reflected on social media, many users reacting to videos of Influencers walking through the paddock and taking photos with drivers and principles, stating that it’s unfair for them to have tickets handed to them, taking up spaces that ‘true’ F1 fans deserved.
To some extent I do actually agree. For the brands, it must be difficult to play the choosing game. Difficult to differentiate which personality or influencer they should invite to gain a positive audience reaction. At the end of the day, the influencer is merely a vessel to promote the experience to their followers. Upcoming sports personalities such as Mia Baker, who is now affiliated with Red Bull was a great example of an Influencer with the right audience making an appearance. Her interview with Max Verstappen happily merged my two worlds of golf and F1, and once again opened my eyes further into the sport.
Drive to Survive also seems to be a pretty big bone of contention with the OG fans. I have chatted with colleagues who have said that the dramatisation of the sport has ruined its true values. Whilst the racing aspect is still there, the media has overwhelmed the paddock and thus it is no longer just who has the fastest car, but it’s also who has the most sponsorship, who has the best fans, driver of the day, who is being slaughtered on social media?
Ticket Prices
With the cost of living crisis still continuing, tickets for any live event, no matter the artist, increasing exponentially (Sabrina Carpenter I am looking at you) and just everyday life being a bit more of a struggle, it can be difficult as a layman to sit and watch celebrities bounce around a place that you would sell your right arm to be able to be there. Even as a new F1 fan I struggled and ended up cutting myself off from Instagram for the weekend, just watching Sky to see the race. The price of tickets are also wildly out of my range, with 2025 Silverstone tickets sitting at £319 for a 3 day General Admission Ticket and £709 for Enclosures, something that I’m not sure that I can justify.
OG Fans
As a fan I think there are also barriers to entry with long-time dedicated fans. I’m sure you will find this experience in any sort of fandom, I know that Directioners are very protective about being an OG fan, riding the wave all the way from What Makes You Beautiful, to the ’18-month’ hiatus. I can definitely see the attitude of those who have watched F1 their whole life and those, like me who are new to it. It’s a difficult thing to overcome and being on the other side of the coin for F1 has really opened my eyes to how I perceive new fans.
I recently experienced this, not just as a new fan, but also a female fan:
Picture this: Monday morning in the office, I’m sat in the canteen grabbing myself a drink and talking with a guy in my team about the Hungaro Ring race. We’re talking about Oscar’s win and our reactions to McLaren’s strategy to ask Lando to give the position back. That was really the crux of the whole conversation, simply discussing strategy, team dynamics and the overall track. As the conversation continued, I was interrupted by a male intern, with something along the lines of “I bet you only like F1 now because of the hype on social media and you think you can impress guys knowing about it”, I was a little stunned to say the least, trying to tell him that really, I only got interested as I liked the documentary. His comments continued, saying that “you’re probably only interested in the guys too, not the sport”, then upon hearing that my favorite driver is Lando Norris “oh classic, like every other girl I know”. There was a lot of jeering, a lot of eyerolling from him, and from me, I was quite literally too stunned to speak.
In all fairness, there was little to no reaction from the guy I was originally speaking to, if anything he was equally as shocked, but there was no defense there, and I couldn’t defend myself. I know that I don’t have anything to prove, and I’m allowed to be interested in what I want, regardless of stereotypes, but an encounter like that left me really dejected, and that I didn’t deserve to be interested. It was a strange feeling and a very long time since I felt as though I didn’t fit in, but I was also angry, I didn’t deserve to be spoken to and belittled like that.
As my day continued, I started to wonder if this was a universal experience amongst girls. I know that the % of women in motorsports is low, and this is very much a male dominated sport. But surely, I have the right to be interested in the sport regardless of what the male athletes looked like? Lando is my favorite driver simply because he is closest to my hometown, and McLaren is my family’s favorite team.
To sum the experience up, it was incredibly off- putting and a representation of how female fans are perceived. By no means am I saying that this is the reception that every female is experiencing, but it was intriguing to witness it first hand, but also read a lot online about the lack of female representation in the sport as a whole.
The last 6 months has seen a massive shift in my interests. From someone who paid little attention to Formula One, to someone now seriously considering dropping a few £100 on a Silverstone ticket. There is a joke online that there is a fangirl to F1 girl pathway that a lot of ex-fangirls have fallen into the rabbit hole of F1 and I think it’s safe to say that I am now part of this.
I have now purchased my first piece of F1 Merch, have found a small group of people at work and in my personal life who enjoy watching and chatting about F1, and also have started to immerse myself in the history of it, not just the current 20 drivers on the grid.
I’ve also just returned from a trip to Monaco!
I was lucky enough to go and see the famous Fairmount Hairpin Turn, the Casino, a handful of sports cars and the incredible yachts in the harbour.
It was a fantastic trip and I’ve come away really wanting to go back during the Monaco Grand Prix. I fear though that this is very much a dream, and something I will need to work hard towards over the next few years.
Overall though, I have found that the short 6 months I have spent within the F1 fan base have been fantastic to say the least. I have found so amazing creators on Tik Tok and have found that there are so many opportunities, with so many different drivers and teams to follow. You can swear your allegiance to one team, or you can have a group of favourite drivers. The biggest thing I have noticed though is the amount of people who wear F1 merch out in public. Before watching Drive to Survive I wouldn’t have noticed this at all, but now I am aware of what each team colour is, or their key sponsors I can spot the merch a mile off!
It would be amazing to know how other people have found becoming a new fan in anything, even if it’s not F1. By no means has anyone been outright rude to me, however the observations I have made are really interesting and I was wondering if anyone else has picked up on it?
ellie's life 