Enzo Ferrari is famously quoted as saying, “If you ask any child to draw a car, they’ll draw a red one.” Sofia Valente Pierini, reminiscing about her childhood, perfectly fits this description.
She recalls how her grandfather, fondly known as Nonno, would set up his small early 2000s tube TV on the kitchen counter every Sunday. The Formula One Grand Prix races would be on, and young Valente Pierini’s eyes were always fixed on the Ferraris.
In a significant turn of events in 2025, Lewis Hamilton, Valente Pierini’s favorite driver, donned the iconic red Ferrari uniform for the first time. By June 2026, he claimed victory in his first Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver.
Valente Pierini openly admits the emotional struggle of being a fan of both Hamilton and Ferrari. Since 2022, she has been creating F1 content under the moniker @formulasofia, documenting the rollercoaster of Ferrari fandom. Witnessing Hamilton on the top step of the podium felt like a long-awaited homecoming to her.
Valente Pierini represents a fresh cohort of content creators reshaping the F1 media landscape to engage a more diverse and younger audience. This audience, whose connection to the sport might have been limited to a fading Ferrari flag in their grandfather’s living room, is now being drawn in by user-generated content and the popular Netflix show “Drive to Survive.”
According to Stacy Lorenz, vice dean at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus and a sports sociology and history specialist, each new broadcasting technology aligns with specific sports perfectly. F1’s online content evolution is the latest example of media synergy propelling a sport into cultural prominence.
Lorenz draws parallels between how radio popularized baseball in America and ingrained hockey in Canadian identity. He explains how radio’s narrative style suits baseball’s sequential nature, and television enhances the viewing experience for dynamic sports like basketball and football.
In the same vein, Lorenz sees F1’s embrace of short-form video and streaming as a natural progression. He emphasizes the significance of the “placeless consumer,” fans not bound by geographic ties to a sport, a trend epitomized by F1’s global appeal.
James Hinchcliffe, a former IndyCar driver turned F1 commentator and podcast host, highlights the pivotal shift in F1’s digital landscape following Liberty Media’s 2017 acquisition. This change, according to Laurel Walzak, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, mirrors the strategic evolution seen in hockey a decade ago, focusing on enhancing fan engagement through social media platforms.
Hinchcliffe credits “Drive to Survive” for demonstrating how F1 drivers can be portrayed as compelling characters, akin to reality TV stars. With a limited pool of 22 drivers competing each race weekend, the paddock becomes a rich source of captivating content.
Online content has become a major draw for F1 fans, fostering a tight-knit community among drivers who have grown up competing together. Cadence Willie, an F1 content creator with a substantial following on Instagram, highlights how the digital space allows fans to personalize their F1 experience and immerse themselves in various aspects of the sport that resonate with them.
The abundance of footage from multiple cameras on F1 cars and team radios provides creators with ample material to cater to diverse fan interests, from memes to insider relationships. Valente Pierini hopes that the newfound digital accessibility in the F1 realm contributes to making the sport more affordable and inclusive for a broader audience.