In Formula 1, the significance of social media has boomed, particularly since Netflix's docu-series Drive to Survive was first released.
It has introduced a younger audience to F1, increasing the need for drivers to have a strong following. This is due to F1's younger fans absorbing and turning to social media for content.
Teams have increased their presence on social media dramatically in recent years, recognising the importance of engaging with their younger audience.
For Ferrari, life is simple, as Lewis Hamilton is comfortably the most followed F1 driver on Instagram.
Hamilton obliterates the grid with his 41.5 million followers, double the number of the next most-followed driver in the championship.
That driver is Charles Leclerc, who has an Instagram following of 20.9 million. While Max Verstappen completes the top three, the Dutchman has almost 25 million fewer followers than Hamilton – the four-time world champion boasts 16.6 million followers.
At the bottom is both Racing Bulls drivers. Liam Lawson has the fewest Instagram followers on the grid with a following of 1.2 million, slightly less than Isack Hadjar with 1.4 million.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll tops the bottom three, as a result of the Candian having 1.6 million followers on Instagram.
Check out the full table below, with each driver's following rounded to the nearest hundred thousand!
Formula 1 drivers Instagram following
| Pos. | Driver | Team | No. IG followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 41,500,000 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 20,900,000 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 16,600,000 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 12,100,000 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 10,800,000 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | 7,600,000 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 7,600,000 |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 5,900,000 |
| 9 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 5,500,000 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Williams | 5,000,000 |
| 11 | Alex Albon | Williams | 3,900,000 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 3,800,000 |
| 13 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 3,600,000 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 3,300,000 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 2,800,000 |
| 16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Stake F1 | 2,700,000 |
| 17 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Stake F1 | 1,800,000 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1,600,000 |
| 19 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1,400,000 |
| 20 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1,200,000 |
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Sam Coop, Fergal Walsh and Nick Golding, as they look back on last weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix. Lando Norris' crushing victory is a lead talking point, as is Max Verstappen keeping himself firmly in title contention.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
- F1 news
- Formula 1
- F1 2025
- Formula 1 news
- F1
- Lewis Hamilton
- Alexander Albon
- Charles Leclerc
- George Russell
- Max Verstappen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Lando Norris
- Nico Hulkenberg
- Esteban Ocon
- Oscar Piastri
- Liam Lawson
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Pierre Gasly
- Franco Colapinto
- Isack Hadjar
- Carlos Sainz
- Kimi Antonelli
- Oliver Bearman
- Gabriel Bortoleto
Join the conversation!