Which F1 driver and team have the highest social media followings?

While some choose not to get involved (we’re looking at you Sebastian Vettel), the world of F1 has embraced social media with almost every driver having at least one account.

Considering the platforms have evolved from a novel way to connect with your fans to a place to secure lucrative brand deals, it makes sense, and F1 drivers have seen their numbers rise in parallel to the sport’s boost in popularity.

With that in mind, here’s how the drivers and teams rank:

Lewis Hamilton

Instagram: 29.2m Facebook: 6m Twitter: 7.6m

Combined Total: 42.8m

As the biggest name in the sport for the past decade, it is unsurprising to see Lewis Hamilton top the list but perhaps what is surprising is the sheer number of followers he has.

You could combine more than half of the grid and they would still have fewer total followers than the seven-time World Champion.

Whilst being the most successful driver of all-time is bound to help your following, Hamilton’s activities away from the track will also bring him plenty of attention.

The 37-year-old takes an interest in fashion, music and environmental issues and posts about them frequently.

What is perhaps most refreshing is that Hamilton appears to do all of his social media on his own rather than with a team, which is increasingly rare for a professional sportsperson.

Max Verstappen

Instagram: 9m Facebook: 2.5m Twitter: 2.9m

Combined Total: 14.4m

Next on the list is the reigning World Champion Max Verstappen. Although still 28.4m followers behind Hamilton, the Dutchman’s popularity is on the rise.

Following his maiden Championship win in December 2021, he gained more than half a million Instagram followers in the space of a week.

The 24-year-old is known to be a very private man when it comes…