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Insights Family Reveals F1’s E-Sports Research

Formula 1® has increased its number of active kid fans by 2.85 million in key Europeanmarkets according to latest research from The Insights Family.

The 17% year-on-year increase, from 17.3 million to 20.1 million, represents a faster growth rate than football, which only grew by 6%.

Formula 1® has also announced findings from a recent study which will help shape its approach to engage with the next generation of fans as it continues to build on the impressive digital infrastructure it has created since Liberty Media took over in 2017.

Together with The Insights Family, a leading market research company focused on kids, parents, and families, F1 ran a combination of qualitative and quantitative research across seven markets with a total sample size of 162,774 kids aged 12-18 with the objective of understanding what the ‘fan of the future’ looks like. Across the surveys and several focus groups, the key findings were as follows:

  • Generation Z now has a greater level of interest in esports than traditional sports.
  • Instagram and TikTok are where young people are consuming content now, rather than Twitter and Facebook.
  • Content on the official F1 social media channels was very well received by the group.
  • Having behind the scenes access helps them understand more about the sports participants and their back stories. Those interested in the engineering and innovation of F1 cars are particularly attracted to documentaries too. 
  • ‘Drive To Survive’ viewers tended to enjoy it thoroughly and valued the additional insight it gave them.
  • There was strong interest in hearing about the history of F1, including the evolution of the cars and icons of the sport.
  • Interest in engineering and technology was more often spoken about as an entry point than races themselves, with UK 10-18s who aspire to be an engineer being 86% more likely than average to watch F1.