Lewis Hamilton has gained 98,730 fans following the release of the latest ‘Drive to Survive’ series

As the 2023 season of Formula One is due to return on the 5th March, avid fans are eager to see their favourite drivers back in the driving seat. In the meantime, fans are re-living last season in the newest instalment of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, released last week. Finnish casino review site Bonusetu has tracked the growth of Instagram followers of each driver featured in this series to establish who has gained the most fans since its release.  

1. Lewis Hamilton – 98,730 followers  

Lewis Hamilton may have lost out to the championship win last season, but he has won the popularity contest. Lewis has gained an enormous 98,730 Instagram followers over the past week. Despite coming in sixth place in the driver standings in 2022, Lewis still has a great pull with viewers and fans. Hamilton was frustrated throughout the Drive to Survive episodes as the Mercedes W13 car experienced problems throughout the season. However, this data suggests new fans of Hamilton have flooded in following Drive to Survives release; he will have an extra 98,730 fans rooting for him in the coming 2023 season.  

2. Charles Leclerc – 54,990 

Charles Leclerc is the second most popular Formula One driver following the release of the latest Drive to Survive instalment. Charles also came second in the driver standings in 2022. The Ferrari driver gained a massive 54,990 Instagram followers over the past week. Last season started very well for Ferrari and Leclerc with an early lead, however, Red Bull quickly overtook them.  

3. Carlos Sainz – 36,262 

Carlos Sainz comes in third place as the most popular driver after gaining an impressive 36,262 Instagram followers over the past week. Sainz saw his first ever pole position at Silverstone last season after Ferrari’s strategy was to leave Leclerc out on the track without pitting to change his tires. While Ferrari’s strategy throughout the season was unpopular, the drivers themselves have both remained popular, according to this data. 

4. Daniel Ricciardo – 24,527 

Daniel Ricciardo takes fourth place as the most popular Formula One driver, gaining 24,527 Instagram followers over the past seven days. The McLaren driver is famous for his smiley disposition and tendency to drink champagne from his racing boot when standing on the podium. Unfortunately, despite his popularity, Ricciardo will not have a seat in Formula One this season and is now reserve driver for Red Bull. Fans might just see Ricciardo drive again this season if, for some reason, Verstappen or Perez cannot participate. 

5. Sergio Perez – 22,372 

Sergio Perez takes fifth place in the popularity standings with 22,372 extra fans joining his Instagram over the past week. Perez came third in the drivers’ standings in 2022 with Red Bull but moves down two places in popularity. The Red Bull driver beats his fellow teammate and two-time world champion, Max Verstappen, in the popularity contest by 1,920 followers.  

6. Fernando Alonso – 21,013 

7. Max Verstappen – 20,452 

8. George Russel – 20,211 

9. Pierre Gasly – 18,475 

10. Mick Schumacher – 15,753 

A spokesperson from Bonusetu commented on the findings: 

“Drive to Survive not only generates new fans and viewers of Formula One as a sport, but it also fleshes out the personalities and vulnerability of the drivers themselves. This leads to more fans ultimately seeing the person behind the car and flocking to their favourite driver’s social media pages to follow their journeys. It is interesting to see that the data suggests championship results do not necessarily correlate with the popularity of a driver.” 

Popularity leader board of last season’s Formula One drivers