Throughout the history of F1 we have witnessed glorious eras with true legends of the sport. The days of Ayrton Senna<\/b>, Alain Prost<\/b> and Gilles Villenueve <\/b>have changed, and with them the world of sponsorship: there was no social media part to manage, and the media echo of the sport had profoundly different contours. The only way to get noticed and break through to the fans was to win, to end up on television, to become an idol, handsome and damned (James Hunt teaches). If you think about it, even in Micheal Schumacher<\/b> ‘s time-and we are not talking about 50 years ago-there was no social media, and if he is still recognized as an F1 icon today, it is mainly because of the superlative results he achieved. An incredible champion, a unique talent, in many ways still unparalleled today. <\/p>\n
As we said, times have changed, however, and the way of communicating and engaging fans is even more so. Performance clearly still matters, but drivers are increasingly being asked to be communication men as well. <\/p>\n
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The market revolving around Formula 1 (and not only, as this happens in many other sports disciplines as well) now requires its protagonists to adopt no small self-branding<\/strong> operation, considering the traffic of visitors from all over the world. Whether it is the simple fan or a potential customer, it matters little: the image that the driver builds in the eyes of the spectator is worth as much as the sports results, in some cases even more. <\/p>\n Its success and visibility are determined by so many aspects of sports marketing; in fact, the work does not begin and end only on race weekends, quite the contrary. Among the activities required of an F1 driver today is, for example, managing, curating and developing his or her social media<\/strong>. Of course, the driver is not expected to take care of this directly, but there needs to be someone who takes care of it on his or her behalf within the team or the driver’s management. Content creation, organization and management of branding and sponsorship campaigns are necessary so that the driver is also a perfect brand ambassador<\/strong>, meeting the needs of sponsors and partners (both team and personal) in the various marketing activities and activations of them. The engagements obtained from the stables are not the only source of income for a driver, to these are added sponsorships with companies that seek high visibility and mirror the values of the driver in question. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In all this, it is not only social media that has sparked all the recent interest in the circus of one of the world’s most watched sports. Since the arrival of the “Drive to Survive”<\/b> series on the Netflix streaming platform, all the main characters in the paddock have become real actors in a story with a cinematic slant. It was the addition of “drama” that made this product so palatable overseas: the entry of Miami<\/b> and Las Vegas (from 2023)<\/b> among the season’s races did not happen only because of contractual agreements, rather because of the strong U.S. interest that came about because of the emotional involvement the series aroused on the entire F1 world. <\/p>\n Well, but who then are the most influential drivers that companies should invest in? Here is our list, compiled not only based on results on the track, but also on what happens outside the circuit. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Son of former drivers Jos Verstappen and Sophie Kumpen-a family with four wheels in its blood. Not everyone knows that it was the mother who was the real talent at home. In fact, Sophie has a successful past driving karts at the professional level, where she gave most of the men a run for their money, going up against the likes of Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button. <\/p>\n The Dutchman was the youngest to compete in F1 at the Australian Grand Prix in 2015 with the Toro Rosso<\/b> stable and then became the youngest to win a GP, in Spain in 2016 with RedBull<\/b>. In 2021 he was crowned world champion after an epic battle with Lewis Hamilton<\/b> that lasted until the last race of the season held in Abu Dhabi, becoming the first Dutchman to triumph in motorsport’s top series. <\/p>\n The defending champion has made himself famous for his old-fashioned style by not sparing himself at any opportunity. His aggressiveness sets him apart, leading him to achieve goals unthinkable before him. The incident with Hamilton at the 2021 Monza Grand Prix is iconic. <\/p>\n On Instagram he has 8.6M followers, with main activity on sporting events about him and flashes of his private life. Just enough to break into the hearts of the Orange, Dutch audience that follows him around the world during GPs. A big fan of video games, it is not uncommon to find him also competing in virtual driving competitions. His character is rather “Nordic”: cold blooded and zero transparency of emotions. He has never hidden frictions with rival teams and drivers, pointing out others’ mistakes in certain episodes during past seasons. On the media level, it is proper to mention his relationship with Kelly Piquet, daughter of Nelson (3-time F1 world champion in the 1980s). <\/p>\n Currently, he represents excellence in terms of performance, wins and competitiveness. His team is in the top 3, he is a phenomenon, so we are at the highest level of prestige and visibility for any brand interested in F1. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He made his F1 debut in 2018 with Sauber<\/b>, Ferrari<\/b> ‘s satellite team. He becomes the second-youngest pole-man in the history of the competition in 2019 in Bahrain, and in the same year he gets his first career victory, in the Belgian Grand Prix. He is presented with the first Ferrari drive after Sebastian Vettel’s departure, with a promise to climb to the highest roof of the standings someday and succeed with the Cavallino emblem printed on his chest. <\/p>\n The Monegasque has distinguished himself at an early age for his ability to adapt to track situations and push the vehicle at his disposal to the maximum. Numbers in hand, he possesses all the credentials to enter the history books of the sport and confirm his nickname “predestined.” <\/p>\n With his 7.5M followers on Instagram, he is one of the most beloved characters in the paddock on all fronts: Ferrari fans, Formula 1 fans, and by insiders. Even among drivers, despite the fact that it is common knowledge that “there are no friends on the track,” there is great respect for him. Even from Max Verstappen, an avowed rival since his karting days, several compliments have come. his activity does not stop only on social media but also spans other entertainment platforms such as Twitch, where in times of pandemic he opened a channel to interact with fans further improving his image and increasing his reach. <\/p>\n As with Max, we are talking about one of the most influential figures in the entire world sports scene. Investing on a sponsorship with his image allows to transfer his values to any brand, with the possibility of building marketing and communication campaigns of any kind. A case in point is Richard Mille, a leading luxury watch company that has believed in the Monegasque’s talent since his kart racing days. Today it enjoys confidential sponsorship agreements with the driver and a dedicated section on its website. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After winning the Formula 2 championship in 2018 he landed at Williams <\/b>the following year, where he took his first steps in the top series debuting at the Australian Grand Prix. He gets his first podium 2 years later in the Belgian GP and in 2022 becomes Lewis Hamilton’s teammate in Mercedes <\/b>. <\/p>\n He has shown his talent even before taking part in the German team’s cause, he has no reverential fear of the more emblazoned Hamilton, who, indeed, puts points to hand in trouble by finishing the first 7 races in the top 5. The defense put on display in Barcelona against Verstappen<\/b> is just one of the many specialties of the Briton, he proves on that occasion that to be strong one must also know how to “suffer.” <\/p>\n If he had not been a pilot, we would probably have known him in the guise of a famous English lord. His simple elegance, never over the top, gives him a regal and classic air, despite the fact that he is dealing with one of the riskiest and most adrenaline-pumping sports on the globe. With his 3.4M followers, he cares about maintaining his status as a racer always at a high level while also showing leisure moments of his life off the track. <\/p>\n As with the two previously mentioned pilots, we remain in an elite circle. Having the opportunity to work with such an impactful front man can only be the right choice for a brand that aims for sophistication, class, and performance. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Remaining on British soil, Norris began his apprenticeship in minor four-wheel championships with excellent results, leading him to become an official tester for McLaren<\/b>. Impressed by his talent, the stable offers him his first professional contract for a seat alongside Carlos Sainz<\/b> in 2019. He achieves a series of important podiums in the following seasons, securing him a renewal that will tie him to the Woking-based outfit until 2025. <\/p>\n For the series “space for the young,” he also falls into the class of ’97-’98’-’99 prodigy, capable of playing his cards even against far more established drivers. He sinks the pedal when necessary and takes the risk of his choices with personality, even going against team orders if necessary (as happened in the 2021 Russian Grand Prix regarding the tire change before a predicted bad weather that cost him dearly). <\/p>\nWhat has changed<\/h2>\n
Max Verstappen<\/h2>\n
Driving<\/h3>\n
Without overalls<\/h3>\n
Why invest in Max Verstappen<\/h3>\n
Charles Leclerc<\/h2>\n
Driving<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Without overalls<\/b><\/h3>\n
Why invest in Charles Leclerc<\/b><\/h3>\n
George Russell<\/h2>\n
Driving<\/b><\/h3>\n
Without overalls<\/b><\/h3>\n
Why invest in George Russell<\/b><\/h3>\n
Lando Norris<\/h2>\n
Driving<\/b><\/h3>\n
Without overalls<\/b><\/h3>\n