As Formula 1’s popularity skyrockets, a new legion of voices has emerged online: fans-turned-content creators. Their presence signals a shift in how F1 is consumed – particularly by the emerging demographic of young women and Gen Z – not only through TV broadcasts, but also via personality-driven, platform-native storytelling that meets fans where they are.

Kireth Kalirai, an influencer and streamer, put it plainly: “Not involving content creators in a media strategy ignores where modern F1 fans are spending a huge proportion of their time.”

Fellow creator Caroline Smith, who makes videos on Instagram and TikTok, agreed. She said the F1 social media space once felt like “the wild west” until teams and sponsors began intentionally including influencers in their marketing strategies. 

“It has now become clear and evident that content creators are an essential part of the modern fan experience,” she said.

“These content creators pose a massive leveraging capability for brands and for teams to act as the bridge between fans and the sport. Because they are fans themselves, content creators and the communities that they cultivate are primed to make fans feel like they are drawing back the curtain and holding F1 experiences in their hands.”

Smith added that content creators have “done the hard work” of connecting fans with the sport.

Fans

“They can now offer a trustworthy, relatable voice to a brand or team – if F1 provides the platform,” she said. “In short, content creators are the new personalities the sport never knew it needed, but they’re fanning the flame to keep fans engaged well beyond race weekends.”

One critical reason why F1 has been able to foster an environment of growth was revealed in the 2025 Global Fan Survey, conducted by Motorsport Network in conjunction with Formula 1. Unlike other sports leagues, where fans often identify with one team at the expense of all others, F1 fandom remains relatively non-tribal. Having the ability to support multiple teams and drivers makes the sport less intimidating for newcomers.

“People want the freedom to change their minds, and the best way for the sport to retain fans is by giving them the freedom to do that,” Smith said.

“It also breeds a more empathetic space that allows fans of different teams and different drivers to find common ground. In order for the future of Formula 1 to be secure, steps like these have to remain in place so that new fans can feel welcomed.”

Kalirai added, “F1 does a good job of remaining accessible… 20 years ago, people tended to be bigger fans of teams, whereas recently I’ve seen a shift towards people becoming fans of individual drivers.”

While Kalirai and Smith have different strategies for connecting with fans, the pair will be co-hosting Motorsport Network’s Race Center Live during the British Grand Prix – a sign of how creator-led coverage is being embraced at the top level.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

“Since 2020 I’ve been running live watchalongs available to anyone around the globe, where anyone can join the community,” Kalirai explained.

“For one race, we had over 15,000 people watching at the same time… if you’re a natural fan of F1, it’s super easy these days to participate in a watchalong, or start your own community on your favourite social media platform.” 

Smith, for her part, started making the type of content that she couldn’t find anyone else creating.

“I come from a performance background; my father played professionally in the NFL for 21 years and I went on to get a degree in music with a minor in dance and a masters in audio engineering,” she explained.

“To me, social media was another stage like the hundreds I had been on before, only this time I got to more actively engage with the audience… I would share my ideas with the hopes that ‘someone would do a video like it.’

“Finally, my husband told me that I should just do it myself. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I have loved all of the amazing people I have had the opportunity to meet along the way.” 

Stay up to speed with the latest F1 British Grand Prix news, expert analysis, photos and videos. Join our watch along on Race Center Live by signing up here.

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