Biggest-Ever F1 Survey Reveals Max Verstappen is Most Popular Driver
Results from the biggest Formula 1 survey ever conducted reveal, among a wide variety of other interesting insights, that Max Verstappen is currently the sport’s most popular driver. Conducted by Nielsen and Motorsport Network, the F1 survey sampled opinions from 167,302 diverse participants, including twice the number of women as the previous survey from 2017.
With 14.4 percent of the vote, the Red Bull Racing-Honda driver grabbed more votes than any other, and not only because of his fanatical following in the Netherlands. He also has a strong following in the United States and Japan.
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Behind him was Lando Norris with 13.7 percent of the vote. The young McLaren driver was highest-ranked among women and the sub-24 age group. Lewis Hamilton, the reigning champion, was third, though he predictably led in the United Kingdom.
The full report contains lots of other interesting information about the way fans perceive the sport. For example, Monza, Spa, Silverstone, and Monaco retain their position as the four most popular tracks. Baku, once the subject of endless satirical memes, saw a big jump in popularity.
Ferrari is no longer the sport’s golden star, having dropped from first to third among fans’ favorite teams. McLaren now has the top spot with nearly 30 percent of the votes, followed by Red Bull Racing at just under 20 percent. Mercedes, despite winning everything since 2014, remains remarkably unable to connect with fans. My bet: it’s not fun rooting for the winners, and they’ve never done much to shed their serious, corporate attitude.
Fans most associated the sport with “fast cars” and “the best driving,” while attitudes concerning F1’s entertainment value have also risen. Still, one of the most common brand attributes was “expensive,” and many fans believe tickets are far too pricey.
To view the full F1 survey, click here.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.