Fandoms You Need To Know About is a new series by We Are Social Sport. It spotlights and analyses sport fandoms that are under-researched, yet rich in character and creativity.
We believe that brands often engage with sports partners and sponsorships with surface level insights that lead to surface level content and campaigns. By delving deep into the culture and behaviors of fans – and challenging preconceptions – marketers stand a greater chance of participating meaningfully in sport and maximising sponsorship impact.
Our first edition will cover a group that’s growing more influential by the day in F1: female fans, written by Junior Creatives in the UK Eleanor Roberts and Nikki Bosier.
Representing this cohort are our authors, Nikki and El, a junior creative team, representing two different but equally valid female fandom perspectives.
The Growing Power and Popularity of F1
F1 is the fastest growing global sports league on social media, and it’s been that way for the past five years. Each year its reach expands, with major brands becoming more intertwined with F1 culture, and the blockbuster success of Drive To Survive (DTS) as well the F1 movie (with a sequel dropping soon) drawing new audiences.
So what does this mean for the fans, or in the case of us writers – the female fans? With three in every four new fans being female, there’s been a massive shift in motorsports. F1 has recognised this, launching an all-female F1 Academy in 2023. One of us (Nikki) can’t remember a time when F1 and motorsport wasn’t part of her everyday life, while the other (El) is a more recent convert. Despite being two very different types of fans, we’ve both seen changes to the sport over the last few years.
Female Fans in Pole Position
Women now make up 42% of F1’s viewership in the US. Their engagement with F1’s global online culture has turned the sport into an entirely different, immersive world. It’s no longer just about the cars. It’s about the ‘paddock fits’, the personality of the drivers, the WAGS, the BTS content and the drama. With F1 on our screens for nine months of the year, the content is endless and unpredictable – just like the races themselves.
Today, F1 female fandoms are social powerhouses. Podcasters, TikTokers and fan artists are redefining what it means to be a modern fan, forcing the sport to change how it engages with its female viewership. We are no longer just viewers: we are the front of F1 culture, both on the track and off it.
While there is a persistent myth that women are only watching or following F1 for the “hot drivers or the WAG drama”, there remains a whole collection of women who purely love the racing and the history of F1. However, both fan types are valid and have contributed to increasing the female fanbase.
The all time legend and current managing director of F1 Academy, Susie Wolff, has revolutionised the sport and is a huge advocate for women in the F1 world.
A social media content creator who speaks about empowering women in motorsports. She shares technical information in an easy to digest way – perfect for new fans looking to get some in-depth understanding.
An Instagram page that focuses on everything F1. A destination for all the latest brand collaborations, changes to the rules, teams, and all things race day. A true purist fan page that acts as a one stop shop for the everyday F1 fan.
Bianca is McLaren’s F1 Academy driver and the first woman in their Racing Driver development program. She’s amassed over 1.5 million followers on TikTok, showing all the ins and outs of her experience, while advocating for women to get into F1 engineering.
A podcast about F1 culture– and not just the racing side of things. They talk about the drivers and races, as well as pop culture and fashion topics. They are the ideal creators to follow for newer fans who want to get a little more insight on the racing, while also getting the tea on off-the-track drama.
F1 Communities
As the fanbase grows, so do the communities within it, spanning everything from fanfiction and artists, to foodies and designers.
F1 in Literature
The F1 fanfiction community is HUGE. The most popular F1 fanfiction on Archive of Our Own has over 590,000 views, and it was only published in January 2026 – five months ago. In the mass publishing and ‘BookTok’ world, there are F1 based series popping up, widening the F1 platform to a new world, like Laura Asher’s ‘Dirty Air’ series and Simone Soltani’s ‘Lights Out’ Series.
The Watch Parties
Watch parties like Hampshire based Parc Femme have become the norm among female followers as a place for like-minded fans to connect. Social media is crucial in creating hype around these events and spreading awareness.
Online groups like Off to the Races have been designed to bring women together who want to attend Formula 1 events. These communities prove that being at the track isn’t just for men, and give women attending races a sense of belonging.
The crossover between fashion and F1 is growing, with drivers becoming ambassadors at luxury houses, attending The Met Gala, and brands sponsoring cars and trophies. Creators are getting involved too, with fans making quirky, creative headwear to wear at the track, or Shannon Ashley, who creates F1 inspired beaded dresses and has collaborated with Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber.
Departing from the WAG culture of early 2000s football, the WAGs of F1 have more autonomy and bring their own fandoms and rights into the F1 world. They extend the character of the drivers, making fans more intrigued about their lifestyles and personalities as a result of their relationships. Today, fans are interested in who the drivers are dating and what their partners do, wear, and say. Kardashians in the paddock incoming…
Mainly sitting within the DTS fandom, dramatised BTS content has broken the races down into digestible content which focuses more on the team’s dynamics. Although there’s controversy about DTS, it is clearly gaining its own strand of F1 fandom. Now, fan groups aren’t just for the drivers – the Team Principals have some too.
The Race Strategy: How to Understand F1’s New Fandoms
The action off the race track is as dynamic as what happens on it
F1 as a cultural space is expanding rapidly, so brands from a variety of categories now have permission to play in a way that wouldn’t have been possible previously. The space is incredibly dynamic, so for work to cut through, pay close attention to the fringes of culture and what’s emerging.
Fuel + empower the new drivers of change in F1.
We have always been there, but our community is still growing. From female engineers, to the F1 Academy drivers, to the female led fandoms, we have opened up doors, encouraging more women to join the community and enjoy the sport.
Social is the place for fan-driven F1 expression
From fanfiction to podcasts and fashion creators, social is where the new generation of F1 fandom is being established. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are leading this shift, taking hard-to-digest content and transforming casual viewers into informed enthusiasts, making social media the ultimate, welcoming entry point for any modern fan.
Thought Leadership
