The Changing Face of Formula 1: Beyond Traditional Motorsport

Let me break down the key insights that are reshaping this high-octane world.

The Netflix Effect: Breaking Barriers

Netflix's "Drive to Survive" series has been a game-changer. The show has attracted entirely new audiences by pulling back the curtain on the drama, personalities, and human stories behind F1. Almost half of the audience who watched the series in February 2025 were female in the UK ¹, some of whom might never have considered themselves motorsports fans.

Women in F1: Building Community and Representation

Social media has been pivotal in this transformation. We’ve seen increases in female audiences in across two YouTube channels, Formula One Management, where we saw the audience composition of females rise from 27.5% to 33.5% ² and McLaren Racing Limited, which experienced an even more dramatic shift, with the female share of its audience jumping from 28.5% to 50.4% from May 2023 to May 2024 ³. Creators are building communities that go beyond traditional racing content. From technical deep dives to fashion commentaries, these platforms are creating multiple entry points for new fans.

While female drivers are not currently competing in F1 races, women are making significant strides in pivotal roles within the motorsports world. Susie Wolff, a former racing driver, became Managing Director of the F1 Academy in March 2023, championing the next generation of female racing talent with her Instagram following surging by 46% from early 2023 to mid-March 2025 ⁴. The post below showcases Wolff’s partnership with the beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury. Alongside her is Jessica Hawkins, Aston Martin's driver ambassador, who achieved a life-long dream by participating in an F1 test in 2023. Hawkin’s top social media post from September 26, 2023, attracted nearly 1.5 million likes. These women are breaking barriers and changing the landscape of motorsports representation.

Digital Consumption: A Complex Picture

The digital landscape for Formula 1 content reveals a nuanced story of audience growth and engagement. Focusing on May 2023 to May 2024, the months when the Monaco Grand Prix took place each year, the female F1 audience demonstrated significant digital consumption patterns that challenge traditional motorsports viewership models.

Formula1.com emerged as a key platform for this transformation, witnessing a 73% increase in total unique female visitors, with particularly notable growth among women aged 25–34 (+670%), followed by women aged 55+ (+240%) and 45–54 (+125%).

The broader digital ecosystem such as, BBC Sport's Formula 1, showed similar trends where content experienced a significant 52% increase among their female audience. All female age groups saw growth, with the most notable in the 35-44 age range (+144%), cementing growing female interest in motorsports content.

This surge wasn't just about numbers but about depth of engagement over a longer period of time. Formula1.com saw a 37.3% increase in total minutes spent by female viewers between May 2023 and May 2024, indicating a growing interest that goes beyond casual browsing.

However, the data also reveals a more complex narrative. The engagement patterns varied dramatically across different age groups. Younger female audiences (15-24), despite a reduction in total visitors, demonstrated the largest growth in engagement. They also consistently showed the highest total views and average minutes per visit. Conversely, the 45-54 female age group presented a different profile with total views increased, but average minutes per visit decreased, suggesting a more time-constrained but still interested audience.

These varied consumption habits suggest that one-size-fits-all approaches are no longer effective. There is a need for:

• Bite-sized, rapid content for younger audiences
• More in-depth, substantive content for older demographics
• Flexible content strategies that can adapt to different viewing preferences

Particularly interesting were website consumption habits. Females in December 2024 who were interested in motorsports were visiting websites across categories traditionally unassociated with F1. Some of the highest viewership within this list demonstrated a historical skew towards female audiences. —For example, these women with interest in F1 were 54% more likely to visit Department Stores/Malls, 84% more likely to browse Beauty/Fashion sites, and 78% more likely to access Home Furnishings platforms.

These insights paint a picture of the female F1 fan, indicating a broadening of interests beyond pure motorsports enthusiasts.

Beyond Racing: Affinities with Luxury and Beauty Brands

While Formula 1, particularly the Monaco Grand Prix, has always been associated with luxury—with long-standing partners like Rolex and Moët & Chandon—the connection has intensified in recent years. The luxury brands group LVMH becoming a global partner in 2025 further solidifies this trend ⁵.

In December 2024, the month when the Qatar Grand Prix took place, F1's social media audience demonstrated strong luxury and beauty brand affinities:

Source: Comscore Social, Affinity Report, Formula 1 - F1 (UK), Selected brands, across Facebook, Instagram and X, December 2024

Rising Stars and Social Media Influence

Drivers are powerful brand influencers. Take racing driver Charles Leclerc, for example. His audience has grown by 430% since 2023 ⁶, with followers highly likely to engage with fashion and beauty brands like Victoria Beckham (40x engagement) or Tiffany & Co (23x engagement) ⁷.

Another driver to watch is Lewis Hamilton, whose recent move to Ferrari opens up opportunities for brands aligned with that team’s identity. His Instagram post announcing the switch received over 5 million likes.

Sports consumption is evolving rapidly, driven by new media formats like documentaries and social platforms that connect with audiences in more personal, dynamic ways. Formula 1 is a prime example—it’s no longer just a race, but a lifestyle and cultural narrative that extends far beyond the track. Other cases include the ‘Beckham’ series on the same streaming platform, which had a clear impact on social media following its release, as well as many of the examples we shared in our recent available presentation, where we set the stage for 2025 .

At Comscore, we help brands and media understand this shift through unique data that reveals audience behaviors across Digital, Social, CTV and Linear TV. To find out more about new digital audience trends, contact us .