How Gen Z ladies are powering the following wave of F1 fandom

By the point the lights exit on race day, the motion – for a lot of Formulation 1 followers – has already been underneath manner for a number of hours. On Instagram, persons are sharing photographs of the drivers' paddock entrance outfits, and on TikTok, edits of the qualifying highlights set to dramatic soundtracks are circulating.

Followers are re-posting drivers' social media selfies, breaking down experiences from journalists within the paddock on YouTube and Twitch, or creating their very own content material from the grandstands. This isn't simply common sports activities fandom – it's a cultural motion. And on the coronary heart of it are Gen Z ladies.

The 2025 Global Fan Survey, performed by Motorsport Network at the side of Formulation 1, presents illuminating insights into the function that younger persons are taking part in in F1's development.

Three out of 4 new F1 followers this 12 months are ladies, and greater than half determine as Gen Z. As soon as thought-about the area of motorsport loyalists, F1 has change into a crossroads of expertise, pace, character, efficiency and popular culture. However crucially, this rising demographic doesn't see a trade-off between loving the technique, innovation and engineering and being drawn to the aesthetics of an expensive, world championship.

Whereas legacy followers cited childhood traditions or household ties as their purpose for following F1, newer followers stated they're drawn to the joys of the races, and have a powerful affinity for the drivers. The truth that they've actively opted into the collection naturally makes them extra incentivised to interact with content material, attend races in-person, and buy merchandise or store from manufacturers related to F1. Partaking this demographic – younger ladies with a powerful affect on family purchases and potential for model loyalty – is one thing F1 might have solely dreamed of 20 years in the past.

Of the survey's Gen Z respondents, 70% stated they really feel that F1 represents a standing or picture that appeals to them. For these newer followers, it displays identification, values and social pursuits: they comply with F1 not only for what it's, however for what it represents. Exclusivity has lengthy been a key a part of F1's attraction – and now greater than ever there's social clout to be gained from posting a photograph watching the Monaco Grand Prix on a yacht. Nevertheless, followers are on the lookout for methods to interact that really feel genuine and participatory, so it stays important that drivers, groups, sponsors and even content material creators are capable of bridge the hole between aspiration and entry for long-term success and cultural relevance.

Talking of content material, many new followers don't simply wish to be consuming it, they wish to create it. Greater than half of all survey respondents repeatedly re-share F1 social media movies and, within the US, 70% of the research's Gen Z respondents stated they interact with F1 content material each day. Whereas the on-track motion stays on the core of the collection for all followers, younger persons are participating on a deeper emotional degree, and have a extra dynamic, always-on relationship with F1. That is thanks, partially, to many Gen Z ladies who've constructed sturdy communities on-line the place the dialog continues lengthy after the chequered flag is waved.

On the coronary heart of this contemporary fandom are the drivers. It's arguably F1's most unusual promoting level: if you wish to dive head-first right into a collection you've simply found through a Netflix present, or social media, there are solely 20 athletes it's essential to know. It makes F1 far much less intimidating than different leagues with tons of, if not hundreds, of athletes.

Two-thirds of surveyed followers stated they really feel personally impressed by the drivers, not simply on-track, however as people. A decade in the past, Lewis Hamilton was considered one of F1's solely world icons. Right this moment, even the motive force sitting twentieth within the standings has fan pages. Because of this, newer followers usually tend to kind identity-based connections with F1, and cited driver personalities and narrative drama as key causes for engagement.

And, regardless of the fervour, F1 fandom stays surprisingly non-tribal. In contrast to different collection, the place followers usually determine with one workforce to the exclusion of all others, F1 presents a extra expansive cultural identification. You're not only a Ferrari fan or a McLaren loyalist – you're supporting the collection as one entity, and that inclusivity makes it much less intimidating for newcomers.

At its core, F1 continues to be outlined by efficiency, innovation, and custom, however the best way followers join with it has developed. Fashionable fandom, particularly as formed by Gen Z ladies, isn't fragmented – it's layered. This rising demographic isn't simply watching from the sidelines, they're co-creating, constructing neighborhood and reimagining the collection as a spot the place vogue, life-style and aspiration sit comfortably alongside race technique and pace.