SHOCKING UK F1 fan numbers revealed – The United Kingdom has become the epicentre for Formula One having completed a coup détente over the giant European Auto Manufacturers. Grand Prix racing pre-WWII was dominated by large auto manufacturers with the likes of Alfa Romeo and Auto Union regularly leading the way.
Much of the racing took place on the European content following decisions by the UK government to ban road racing in an effort to reduce the number of spectators killed each year. Grand Prix racing was truly a European affair. Yet all that was to change following the inauguration of the Formula One championships in 1950.
During the 1950’s a small group of independent teams emerged mocked by the FIA president at the time who named them Garagistes. These teams were often based in small garages and workshops and operated on tiny budgets when compared to the European Automakers, yet despite limited resources the Garagistes were able to compete with the big boys by the use of innovative car designs and resourcefulness.
Enland’s micro motorsports industry
They heyday for the Garagistes was in the 50’s and 60’s where they successfully challenged the dominance of the bigger factor based outfits by introducing new talent, pioneering technologies and design concepts which revolutionised the sport which was previously based on building the biggest and most powerful engines of all.
Lotus, Brabham and Cooper were amongst the most successful and long standing of the Garagiste teams. Charles Cooper founded the team of his namesake and his son John was the first to experiment with a rear engine layout, initially mocked by Enzo Ferrari, who followed suit two years later. During the 1950’s, Cooper won two drivers championships together with two constructor titles with drivers Jack Brabham and Mike Hawthorn.
The British Grand Prix was the first race to be scheduled under the new Formula One championship regulations in 1950. The track had been heavily modified the previous year and was now exceptionally fast but the same layout was to remain for decades before changes were introduced in 1991.
Without the grandstand infrastructure seen today at circuits around the world, Silverstone in 1950 was in effect a giant field which incorporated a racing circuit. Fans were seen all around the perimeter of the hay bails marking the edge of the circuit and this made the estimated 120,000 strong attendance look even larger than it was.
F1 worth £12bn to UK economy
The innovating capabilities of the Garagistes caused a variety of motorsport support business to be founded and grow and today this has exploded into a £12bn industry, with all but one of the current F1 teams having bases in England’s ‘motorsports valley’.
This year’s British Grand Prix now reports a record attendance over the weekend, with more than half a million people visiting the event across the four day weekend. Once upon a time the Friday practice sessions were the domain of the ‘geek’ F1 fan with grandstands lying empty awaiting the crowds who came on Saturday and Sunday. This year Friday’s attendance was in line with race day as the visitors flocked to see the cars and their heroes perform in a variety of off track appearances.
With Formula One being so rooted in England, its hardly surprising it now hosts the race with the biggest attendance on the F1 calendar. Yet new numbers released today suggest the already fanatical F1 following in the UK, is growing even larger with some fascinating shift in the demographics.
This weekend London’s iconic walkie talkie sky scraper was transformed with a huge projection display celebrating the nations growing passion for F1. It featured stunning visuals of 35 custom team liveries including those designed by presenter Natalie Pinkham, Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, broadcaster Roman Kemp and dancer Nadia Bychkova.
Stunning growth in UK F1 support
Spanning 4,250 square metres across the Skyscraper’s exterior, the event marked the publishing of research from F1 which reveals a shocking 16.7 million Brits now identify as F1 fans. With almost a quarter of the country’s population now claiming allegiance to the sport, there has been a striking rise in female participation with women now 41% of UK fans.
Not only has there been a big shift from its previously male dominated audience but the number of fans now under 35 represents about 42% of the total – up 11% over the past seven years.
Louise Forbes, from Lenovo who delivered the event said: “We’re thrilled to unveil a world-first AI-driven projection experience on the iconic Fenchurch Building – bringing cutting-edge technology and bold creativity to the heart of London and igniting a new era of immersive marketing.
“We’re constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and partnering with Formula 1 is the perfect showcase for that spirit of innovation.”
25% of UK population claim F1 fandom
And its not just in terms of attendance at the British Grand Prix or by watching on TV where the sport is growing in the UK as additional research by the Motorsport Network reveals some 61% of fans interact with F1 daily, finding content on social media, YouTube and Twitch. Some 70% cite the ‘performance and precision’ of the sport as a key reason they follow it.
Despite the noise F1 has made in recent years about the massive growth in popularity of F1 in North America, it is in the UK and Europe where the bulk of the fans remain. TV audiences have doubled in the US since 2018, but as ESPN revealed last week the viewing figures remain this year at an average of 1.3 million per Grand Prix.
Yet these are dwarfed by numbers in Europe where Italy, France and the UK see a combined 16.5m tune in each race weekend. Despite the FIA being located in the Place de Concorde in Paris, its now England where he bulk of F1 operations are now based. Sauber-Audi are opening a UK base for certain operations, whilst their powertrain and chassis operations remain in Germany and Switzerland respectively.
All F1 teams bar 1 now in England
Cadillac too have a substantial and growing presence at their new base in Silverstone and earlier this year Nico Rosberg suggested even the iconic Italian F1 team would benefit from certain operations being based in the UK to improve the team’s communication with suppliers, offer access to a wider pool of talent and eventually improve their competitiveness.
Having started in run down old small garages, in a sport dominated by European giant auto manufacturers, the English based micro motorsports organisations have now completed their conquest to become the largest racing businesses in the entire world.
Why a 12th F1 team is now on the cards
Since the acquisition of the commercial rights to Formula One by US based Liberty Media, interest in the sport has exploded across the world. The number of race weekends has now reached an all time high and across the grid the incremental interest in the sport has seen the number of team sponsors and partners more than double in under a decade.
The news this week that Apple is substantially outbidding the current US F1 broadcaster ESPN for the rights from next year onwards is further evidence of the significant growth in popularity of the sport in North America. ESPN has been televising F1 since 2018 when NBC failed to renew its $4m a year licensing arrangement with the sport.
The Disney owned channel originally acquired the rights at no cost given the lack of competition, although as F1’s popularity boomed due to the success of the Netflix series, “Drive to Survive” come 2020 they agreed a $5m a year fee with FOM. The following season ESPN agreed a massive increase in the annual fee reported to be around $85m a year, but now the rights will expire at the end of this season…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Mike Hawthorn won his only Drivers World Championship (the correct acronym for which is DWC) in 1958 driving a Ferrari.
The only two DWCs won in a Cooper were those of Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960.
Vanwall won the (first) Constructors World Championsip (CWC) in 1958; Cooper in 1959 and 1960.