Images from LECinema16, HUSKEDKNIFE/X
\n\nPretty boys, photo cards, and parasocial relationships. Welcome to the new Formula 1 (F1).
\n\nIf you scroll through social media content about F1, you’d notice that the cars and the race now make up just a fraction of what you see.
\n\nInstead, you'll find fan edits from interviews, meme pages, and entire fan accounts dedicated to individual drivers.
\n\nI've been following F1 for years. But these days, my social media feed looks more like the feed of a K-pop fan.
\n\nRather than just the cars or the brands, fans are increasingly taking an interest in the drivers themselves.
\n\nAsked about why they followed F1, legacy fans — which F1 defined as older, male, and who'd been following the sport for at least six years — said they'd followed the sport since childhood, enjoyed the thrill of the races, or appreciated the technology.
\n\nBut a new reason has emerged among newer and younger F1 fans: being a fan of the drivers.
\n\nMax or Lewis, rather than McLaren or Lamborghini.
\n\nBut how did the people end up being the main characters of a traditionally car-led sport?
\n\nWe can perhaps date it back to the 2019 Netflix documentary series…
Original source: https://mothership.sg/
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