As the 2023 season of Formula One returned on Sunday, avid fans have been eager to see their favourite drivers back in the driving seat. Finnish casino review site Bonusetu has tracked the growth of Instagram followers of each Formula One driver over the past two weeks. Within the two-week timeframe tracked, the new season of Drive to Survive and the first race of the 2023 Formula One season had been aired.
- Fernando Alonso – 211,979 followers
Alonso wowed Formula One fans this weekend with his surprise podium appearance in Bahrain with spectacular overtakes and calm and calculated driving. The Aston Martin driver has clearly made an impression with viewers as an enormous 211,979 new fans of his have flocked to his Instagram following his third-place drive.
- Lewis Hamilton – 206,035 followers
Lewis Hamilton comes in second place as the most popular Formula One driver, gaining an enormous 206,035 Instagram followers over the past two weeks. Despite coming in fifth place in the season’s first race, Lewis still has a great pull with viewers and fans.
- Charles Leclerc – 160,079 followers
Charles Leclerc is the third most popular Formula One driver following the release of the latest Drive to Survive instalment and his race in Bahrain. The Ferrari driver gained a massive 160,079 Instagram followers over the past two weeks, despite his unfortunate retirement from the first race of the season.
- Carlos Sainz – 105,424 followers
Carlos Sainz comes in fourth place as the most popular driver after gaining an impressive 105,424 Instagram followers over the past two weeks. Interestingly, Sainz also took fourth place in the Bahrain race with his Ferrari, beating Lewis Hamilton.
- Max Verstappen – 78,744 followers
The current Formula One world champion, Max Verstappen, comes in fifth place in popularity, having gained 78,744 followers over the past two weeks. Verstappen won this weekend’s first race of the season, easily beating the competition in his Red Bull car.
- Sergio Perez – 67,372
- George Russell – 62,437
- Pierre Gasly – 58,952
- Lando Norris – 43,066
- Yuki Tsunoda – 37,581
A spokesperson from Bonusetu commented on the findings:
“The massive increase in Instagram followers for these Formula One drivers in partly due to the release of the latest series of Drive to Survive. Drive to Survive not only generates new fans and viewers of Formula One as a sport, but it also fleshes out the personalities and vulnerability of the drivers themselves. This leads to more fans ultimately seeing the person behind the car and flocking to their favourite driver’s social media pages to follow their journeys. This being said, the dramatic increase in followers for Fernando Alonso is mainly due to his amazing performance in Bahrain. As the oldest driver on the grid, Alonso’s experience, along with his fantastic Aston Martin car, may just make him a top contender for this year’s Formula One Championship.”
