WHAT IS F1 CONTENT WITHOUT ITS DRIVERS? IN PRE-SEASON, WE FIND OUT
By Jim Harris
As F1 drivers took their well-earned rest during the January pre-season period, the real challenge fell on the sport's 10 social media teams. With their most-valuable stars off grid (pun intended), the teams have to keep their channels active and their fans engaged - no small feat! It’s a time when creativity is really put to the test, and the results can be fascinating.
Here are some of my favourite pieces of original social content from F1 teams in January… the one rule: no current drivers allowed!
FERRARI MAKE A DOGS DINNER OF IT
Whilst Ferrari have rightly grabbed all the headlines for their stunning introduction of Lewis Hamilton to the team in January, they still found time to plan some fun before the 7-time World Champion officially arrived in Maranello.
The Hamilton-Leclerc partnership is hotly anticipated, not just for the on-track battle but for the meeting of Roscoe and Leo - the pair’s extremely popular dogs! This Reel perfectly played into the anticipation. It was clever, got people excited, and likely even baited a few non-F1 fans who watched on expecting a cute dog video.
MCLAREN’S FULL CIRCLE CHAMPIONS
A nod to the long-timers. The 2024 Constructors’ Champions McLaren are blessed to be one of the longest-standing and most-decorated F1 teams. Yet 2024 was McLaren’s first Constructors' Championship in 26 years, so as part of their celebrations, the Woking team shifted the spotlight on to some of their employees who were there for them both.
What stood out was the stripped-back style of the content. It felt personal, and the brilliant anecdotes shared gave a real sense of what it means to be part of the team.
ASTON MARTIN LAUNCH THE CREATOR COLLECTIVE
Aston Martin has long championed individual creativity on TikTok. With The Creator Collective—a competition in partnership with TikTok—they’re giving five lucky creators the chance to collaborate with the team and tell Aston Martin’s story through their own unique lens.
Not only will this initiative provide fans with an inspiring behind-the-scenes look into Aston Martin’s world, but it also opens the door for fresh perspectives to shape the team’s content moving forward. With more content from the programme promised, this is definitely one to keep your eye on.
WILLIAMS: HERITAGE RULES.
You can’t beat a good throwback, but Williams took it one step further. They reunited the legendary Nigel Mansell with his 1992 Championship-winning FW14B – one of F1’s most iconic cars.
His reaction alone was priceless, but the sight of this dominant partnership reunited served as a brilliant reminder of Williams’ rich history in the sport. It was the perfect snippet of content for diehard F1 fans, especially during the off-season.
ASTON MARTIN: BUILDING A CAR IS AN ART-FORM, LITERALLY.
In today’s social media world dominated by short-form video, Aston Martin prove that photography still packs a powerful punch.
Pre-season in F1 is a time of secrecy, with teams going to great lengths to guard their car designs from competitors. It means that ‘car build’ content is increasingly few and far between, and always under close supervision by the team’s most-senior decision makers. Capturing the intricacy and craftsmanship of car assembly, as well as the people at the heart of it, these images painted a picture of the process as an art form. Stunning tease photography.
FERRARI: LOOK HARDER
Call it cryptic content or gamified storytelling – Ferrari really played a blinder in the build-up to unveiling their driver pairing in January, undoubtedly one of the most anticipated in F1 history.
Despite limited access to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Ferrari still drove the conversation and engaged their audience early on. This post, in particular, stood out: eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted several hidden gems in the image - be it the 44 windows and 16 tyres (a subtle nod to the drivers’ numbers), the dog bowls or those random clogs by the rear-wheel. Beautifully crafted, it was the perfect teaser for what has turned out to be one of the most successful driver unveiling campaigns in recent F1 memory.
With the highly-anticipated F1 75 Live Launch just around the corner and drivers nearly all back into the swing of season preparation, fans are about to get their fill of the characters, drama and suspense that we have grown to love about F1 in recent years again. But as we head into the new season, it's worth taking a moment to appreciate the creative work F1 social and content teams put in during January to get you ready for the 2025 season.
It goes to show, even with limited talent access, there’s always room for creativity!