Enzo Ferrari famously remarked, “If you ask any child to sketch a car, they’ll invariably choose red.” Sofia Valente Pierini perfectly embodied this sentiment during her childhood.
“Every Sunday, when we visited, my maternal grandfather, Nonno, would have his small tube TV from the early 2000s set on the kitchen counter,” she remembered. The Formula One Grand Prix would be on, and Valente Pierini’s gaze would inevitably be drawn to the Ferraris.
In 2025, Lewis Hamilton, her favorite driver, donned the legendary red uniform for the first time, and by June 2026, he clinched his inaugural Grand Prix victory as a Ferrari driver.
“Being a fan of both Hamilton and Ferrari has been an emotional rollercoaster,” Valente Pierini confessed. Since 2022, she has been creating F1 content under the handle @formulasofia, capturing the emotional highs and lows of being a Ferrari supporter. “Watching him on the top step of that podium was incredible; it felt like a homecoming.”
Valente Pierini represents a fresh wave of content creators who are reshaping the F1 media landscape for a younger, more diverse audience—one that might have previously associated the sport with a faded Ferrari flag in their grandfather’s living room.
In conjunction with the hit Netflix reality series Drive to Survive, user-generated content is engaging a new audience for F1, much like radio helped attract baseball and hockey enthusiasts.
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Different sports suited to different media
Each new broadcast technology has unique features that make them particularly beneficial for certain sports. According to Stacy Lorenz, vice dean at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus and an expert in the sociology and history of sport, F1’s online content is the latest example of media synergy propelling a sport into cultural prominence.
For instance, Lorenz pointed out that radio significantly contributed to making baseball America’s pastime and solidified hockey’s place in Canadian culture. The play-by-play and color commentary of radio were particularly well-suited for the sequential nature of baseball.
“The pauses in the game allow for storytelling between pitches; it really lends itself to that narrative and storytelling style,” he explained.
In a similar vein, Lorenz observes how dynamic sports like basketball and football flourished on television, which utilized multi-camera setups to capture the entire field’s action for viewers at home.
A heated lap at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix. With a limited number of drivers competing simultaneously, fans find F1 to be an easily accessible sport. (Getty Images)
In Lorenz’s perspective, F1’s engagement with short-form video and streaming represents the logical evolution in this lineage. He particularly highlights the significance of the “placeless consumer,” referring to fans who are not geographically tied to a sport as a Leafs fan in Toronto would be.
“I believe F1 is likely the most advanced form of that experience available today,” he stated. “You can engage with these sports live from anywhere, including all the surrounding culture, storylines, and narratives through various media.”
New ownership, new ideas
James Hinchcliffe, a former IndyCar driver who hosts the podcast Off Track with Hinch and Rossi and provides commentary for F1TV, notes that everything shifted with Liberty Media’s acquisition of F1 in 2017.
“Liberty’s takeover fostered a natural inclination to embrace online and digital aspects in a way that was absent in Formula One prior to that,” he remarked.
James Hinchcliffe, a former IndyCar driver now providing commentary for F1 TV, states that a change in ownership initiated a new era for F1 media. (Getty Images)
The Liberty acquisition resulted in a transformative shift in the sport, according to Laurel Walzak, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of RTA Sports Media.
“It’s reminiscent of what hockey accomplished 10 or 15 years ago, recognizing that to increase familiarity with the sport, they had to reveal players beyond their helmets,” Walzak explained, citing innovations like arena walk-in cameras and in-game interviews. “Formula One has excelled in this area on social media.”
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Hinchcliffe asserts that Drive to Survive has illustrated how easily fans can follow F1 drivers as if they were characters in a reality show. With just 22 drivers competing each race weekend, having cameras in the paddock guarantees a wealth of content.
“There are significant egos and vibrant personalities—these are all ideal ingredients for a successful reality program,” he noted.
McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris celebrating a ‘McLaren One-Two’ at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix. Hinchcliffe believes F1 drivers embody the characters that engaged audiences seek. (Getty Images)
Online content a big draw for fans
Valente Pierini describes F1 as a tightly-knit sport, with many drivers being lifelong friends who began their journey in junior racing leagues during childhood.
“The content landscape is rife with drama between them,” she stated. “However, at its core, there’s a profound beauty in the community.”
Cadence Willie, who shares F1 content with over 80,000 followers on Instagram under the handle @cadencebraking, believes that F1-focused online communities allow fans to personalize their experience, algorithmically connecting them with facets of the sport that resonate with them.
“You could definitely argue that the Netflix bubble has burst,” Willie remarked, noting that the content generated on social media is just as appealing to new fans as Drive to Survive.
Since every F1 car comes equipped with multiple cameras and team radios, creators have a vast array of footage to work with, allowing them to cater to their specific niche and expand on what Willie refers to as the various types of F1 lore, whether it’s memes or notable relationships.
“If the basic information is readily available, it’s not difficult to guide you to the next level,” Willie explained. “There is truly something for everyone.”
Valente Pierini is hopeful that the recent surge in digital accessibility within the F1 realm will also lead to greater affordability. Despite being a content creator located in a Grand Prix city, she finds it challenging to afford tickets.
“F1 has always been such a glamorous sport, and now it attracts young people and viewers from all over,” she noted. “I wish it were more accessible for the broader public.”