Beauty influencers at the Silverstone paddock? Fans aren’t impressed. The F1 influencer controversy is heating up, with debates over free tickets, marketing strategies, and what it really means to be a fan. Here’s how brands can steer clear of the backlash.
July 7, 2025
Studio
Formula One’s growth story is a marketer’s dream: global audiences booming, young fans flocking in thanks to Netflix and social media, and brands eager to ride the wave. But as F1 races into the influencer era, a controversy is leaving fans stuck in the gravel trap.
The debate flared again around the Silverstone Grand Prix. Influencers, some with little history of following F1, and many from beauty or fashion circles, were gifted exclusive tickets to what fans often consider a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Meanwhile, diehard supporters spend hundreds, if not thousands, on tickets, food, and camping just to glimpse their heroes driving past. It’s no surprise that TikTok and Instagram comment sections are full of backlash:
“Here are more people who have the luxury of free tickets while real fans have to watch it at home.”
The aim, say organisers and brands, is to grow interest in Silverstone and the sport itself. But fans fire back that if F1 really wanted to attract new audiences, it should start by lowering food, ticket, and camping prices, not handing out freebies to influencers whose followers might barely know the sport.
It’s not a new debate, some fans say this tension has simmered for 16 years, only truly exploding in the past few seasons as influencer marketing took off.
For brands, the logic is obvious. Inviting influencers is cheap advertising. It brings Formula One in front of new eyes, expands the sport’s reach, and helps partners like beauty or fashion labels cross-pollinate audiences. As The Athletic put it, influencers have become “vital entry points for casual fans.”
Some fans accept that influencers can help grow F1, even if it means fewer spots for loyal supporters. After all, who wouldn’t say yes to a free pass to the Grand Prix? Others, however, feel it’s a sign of brands being tone-deaf, prioritising shallow reach over genuine connection, driving ticket prices even higher, shutting out working-class fans further.
F1 is navigating a delicate chicane between heritage and hype. Influencers have undeniably boosted the sport’s global profile. But sending influencers with no real interest in F1, particularly those outside the motorsport niche, feels to many fans like brands are simply chasing numbers, not nurturing the sport’s culture.
It’s a powerful lesson for marketers everywhere: influence only works when it’s authentic. In Formula One, as on the track, precision and passion still matter.
Want to harness influencers without leaving your fans in the dust?
Let Serotonin Digital help you create marketing strategies that win hearts and pole positions. Get in touch today
.png)