Padock Princesses, Landostands, and The Fan Made Campaign!!
Hi there! Welcome to Track Limits, a weekly newsletter where we break down the biggest headlines in F1 and explore the questions, topics, and trends that are shaping the sport. Nothing is off-topic and a little fun is always part of the mix!!
Good Evening!! Silverstone is always a highlight on the calendar, but this year it really outdid itself!! Honestly, I feel bad for anyone who watched the F1 movie and thought, “Hey, let’s check out a race!” This is not normal, people, get ready to be disappointed!!
Speaking of disappointment, after finishing fifth, Verstappen is all but out of this year’s title fight. Now the question is whether he’s walking away from Red Bull, or if Horner’s firing was the team’s last effort to hold on to their reigning champion.
Mercedes — rumoured to be a frontrunner for Verstappen’s services— was already having a rough weekend, and then decided to make it worse by taking a page out of Ferrari’s strategy playbook. Never a good idea, especially not when it’s raining!!!
Still, it wasn’t all doom and gloom!! Aston Martin finally scored its first double points of the year. Haas did some impressive synchronized spinning!! But the true stars of the weekend were without a doubt Stake and Hulkenberg. After 15 years in the sport and 239 race starts later, the German driver went from P19 to his first trophy!!! I can’t think of a better way to wrap up one of the most unforgettable race weekends of the season!!
Teams, partners, and the media usually go all out at Silverstone, turning the weekend into a full-blown off-track extravaganza!! Last weekend was no different, so bear with me while I try to go over most the madness of the British Grand Prix!!
3. LandoStands Personal branding has been THE marketing buzzword in recent years, with everyone from college grads to athletes being told they need to develop a personal brand to land a job, book a partnership, or build a community. The fact that we’ve turned knowing yourself and living by it into a marketing concept makes me roll my eyes — but let’s move past that!!
While many drivers have struggled to communicate who they are, what they stand for, and why fans or brands should care, Norris has mastered it!! It’s no coincidence he’s one of only three drivers featured on SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes in the world and that he has one of the biggest, most recognisable fandoms in Formula One.
And he isn’t just sticking with sport. The LN brand is expanding into gaming, lifestyle, fashion, and media — all while staying true to Norris’ essence of being playful, irreverent, youthful, digital-first and relatable.
The LandoStands — the official Lando Norris grandstands outside Stowe at this year’s Grand Prix — are the culmination of that growth. With the brand signalling that it’s not just culturally relevant, but capable of turning fans into paying customers when it sold out the 10,000 tickets in less than two hours!!
Add to it a strong visual identity — the neon yellow with black blobs is not just striking, it’s iconic!!— covering the grandstands and part of the special merch collection released for the weekend. And it becomes clear Norris is playing in a different league when it comes to marketing and brand strategy!! I hate to say it, but not even Hamilton is that good!!
2. LEGO Trophies!! One of the most exciting partnerships in Formula One this year is, without any doubt, LEGO!! The Danish toy brand has create some of the most memorable moments in the sport this year by tapping into the brand’s promise of embracing creativity.
Unlike many partnerships in F1 that simply slap a logo on a car, team kit or track and organize activations at select races. LEGO has made a clear effort to find ways to integrate its product into the sport that isn’t just innovative and fun, but feels authentic to the brand itself.
From the driver parade in life-sized LEGO cars, brake marker boards that resemble LEGO bricks — or are they actually made out of them?! — to LEGO flowers decorating the Paddock Club and trophies built out of 2,717 LEGO pieces — which McLaren managed to break!! Every detail reflects this unique partnership strategy where F1 traditions are combined with LEGO’s playfulness in such a way that it seamlessly extends the real-life experience into digital spaces, creating the social buzz brands dream of!!
With an increasingly diverse fanbase, LEGO has been one of the few brands to truly tap into the breadth of that audience — bringing together seasoned fans and curious newcomers alike, whether for a giggle or a moment of awe!! This unique approach showcases that Formula One can be both a serious, technical sport and a creative, joyful space for imagination and fun.
As such, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this partnership expands into something far bigger — at least I hope so!!
With more and more F1-themed LEGO stop-motion videos popping up on the brand’s social media — including this week — I get the feeling they’re either testing the waters or teasing a F1 Lego movie!! What do you think?!
1. #FanMade No one does fan engagement like Aston Martin — at this point, they’re just showing off!! While other teams organize show runs, fan zones and full-scale events — like McLaren’s at Trafalgar Square — Aston Martin consistently proves it doesn’t need to go big to hit home.
The Fan Made campaign with TikTok is a perfect example of this. Through small but meaningful actions Aston Martin showed fans they not only see them but appreciate all the different ways fans express their fandom, create community and boost the team’s cultural capital.
Before the weekend even started, Aston Martin took over Tottenham Court Road subway station with a screen installation broadcasting social content created by fans and the five creators in the team’s creator collective. It might seem understated, but by recognizing fans as co-creators of the brand’s social presence, Aston Martin isn’t just showing they matter — they’re making fans feel like part of the team.
At the same time, the team partnered with London-based matcha café Matchado to create a pop-up kiosk at Covent Garden, serving free Aston Matcha drinks and cookies to I/AM members. Not only is it giving a nod to fans, showing the team is in on the conversations and on social media trends. But it’s a very organic way to tap into a global cultural moment — after all, both the team and matcha are green!!
And finally, Aston Martin teamed up with a small U.K. company, Glaize, which makes stick-on gel nails, to create a custom nail set featuring the team’s iconic emerald green — love this colour soooo much!!!. With over 40% of F1 fans being women — many of whom use their manicure to show support for their favorite team — Aston Martin delivered something fans have been asking for —a signature color nail set!! A great way to give fans something back—just like the team did with the bucket hat — and boost their loyalty program, I/AM, since it’s the only way to get access to the set!
All of this shows how strategic, creative, and authentic fan engagement can be way more effective than big, extravagant moments. With all due respect, Formula 1 fans don’t need a two hour show at the O2 Arena!!
So, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this campaign helped Aston Martin boost its organic reach, strengthen trust with current fans, and create new brand ambassadors to spread the word!!
Honorable Mentions Like many of you, I found myself in a movie theatre last week wondering where it all went wrong!! Did I enjoy 150 minutes of Brad Pitt and crashes? As the meme goes: “Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe sh@t!!” That’s my one-sentence review, since everything else has already been said and discussed to death!!
The one thing that actually surprised me — and I haven’t seen nearly enough hype about — is the soundtrack. Honestly, it might be the best part of the movie. I know!! Who even am I?! Just a couple of weeks ago, I was rolling my eyes with everyone being obsessed over that Tate McRae song. But last Thursday? I wasn’t just jamming to it I caught myself thinking multiple times, “Wow, these songs actually feel like they belong in this movie.”
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like it’s Cinema Paradiso, Birdman, or Juno — wow, that was soooo pretentious of me, I love movies but I just gave myself the ick!! Still, the F1 movie soundtrack works, and it’s good!! It’s got an interesting mix of genres, doesn’t just “fill a space,” but helps tell the story on an emotional level. And it feels true to this specific moment in F1’s history — bold, in tune with pop culture and just fun!!
Honestly, I am considering getting the vinyl — is that crazy talk?!
Before the weekend started the British Prime Minister invited Formula 1 and the teams to 10 Downing Street to celebrate the sport’s 75 years and its impact on the British economy. Which makes sense, but is it just me, or does this government seem really interested in Formula One? I wonder if it’s driven by a policy agenda, F1 lobby or if it’s just a PR thing. Mhhh — not sure yet, but I’ll try to find out!!
VCarb or Racing Bulls — honestly, I’m still not sure what to call them!! — teamed up with London-based artist Slawn for their special livery this weekend. The team has consistently been THE one to bring unique and creative liveries, and this one is definitely near the top of my list!!
Featuring graffiti-style black-and-white drawings on both the cars and race suits, they fully embraced their young, urban, and edgy vibe!!! Also, watching both drivers try to quickly tag their names was a reality check for anyone who looked at the design and thought it was “simple” — a.k.a me!!
Food was surprisingly one of the hottest topics this weekend. Tsunoda revealed he wanted to try Yorkshire puddings — why and didn’t he live in the U.K. for years?! Alpine had their drivers guess British foods based on their names — why are they all so weird?! — as well as taste and rate British snacks — Colapinto was definitely not impressed!! Meanwhile, Lawson got a huge bag of New Zealand chocolate, and honestly, I’ve never seen him happier!! Also, what is so special about this chocolate??
The Williams drivers debated the order of putting cream and jam on a scone — honestly, the most British conversation ever!!! Since I’ve got no skin in the game and love stirring the pot, I have to disagree with Albon. It’s not psychotic to put jam first. Since it tastes the same, it comes down to structural integrity. If the jam is thicker and holds better than it goes first!! Also, Sainz, a tortilla is always better with onions!!!
There were a LOT more shenanigans — from an orange safety car — love!! — the Ferrari doggies hanging out, a million celebrity sitings to Hamilton checking out Raye’s concert and strutting the grid in some stunning fits. But there’s no way I can cover them all — I’m sorry!! That said, I do have to mention two that made me laugh out loud!!
IMG Models announced it signed Piastri, and it’s looking to secure luxury brand partnerships in the fashion and lifestyle industries for the driver — are we talking about the same Piastri?!! Like, the awkward Aussie driver?!! Out of everyone on the grid, Piastri is probably the second-to-last person I would expect to sign with a modeling agency — with Verstappen, obviously, holding that bottom spot!!
Still, it’s a smart move by his team to get him in front of a mainstream audience and connect him with big-name brands. Longevity is clearly the end game here!!
Finally, but absolutely not least, Stroll and Alonso read what I can only describe as thirsty fan comments!! Probably inspired by Buzzfeed’s Thirsty Tweets series, Aston Martin gave each driver some thirsty comments about the other to read out loud. Not only was it the first time I’ve seen Alonso genuinely crack up, but Stroll was eager to join in!! Over the course of the video, both drivers looked utterly confused but determined to make each other as uncomfortable as possible — which always makes for some top-notch content!! I seriously hope this becomes a recurring series — I mean, it’s not like there aren’t enough thirsty comments on the internet!!
Oh and my favourite thirsty comment was by far “Everytime you kiss a kerb I get jealous!!” No notes!!!
Paddock Princesses
When Conde Nast’s women’s magazine, Glamour, published an article last week titled “F1 is For the Girls Now” with a cover image featuring influencers, WAGs, and celebrities, many fans raised their eyebrows in skepticism.
The article went on to describe F1 as “the chic sport for women to follow”, attributing the rise in female fandom to celebrity attendance and influencer culture and stating that girls who are fans of the sport are “perfecting their paddock princess attire”. Unsurprisingly, it prompted fierce backlash.
THE CONTEXT
Women have been interested in cars and motorsport ever since the invention of the automobile in the late nineteenth century. While Victorian ideas about women’s disposition and role in society cast them as too weak and emotional to manage a car. That didn’t stop many of them from enjoying driving, repairing, or even racing cars.
So much so, that the automobile was closely linked with the women’s suffrage movement of the early twentieth century in certain parts of the world. With the women fighting for the right to vote, own property, and access higher education, among the early adopters of the car. Transforming the automobile not just into a tool to further the movement, but a symbol of the freedom and autonomy women were seeking — all while dismantling gender norms and stereotypes about women’s technical and athletic aptitudes
Despite this, the automotive industry, motorsport and car culture as a whole refused to acknowledge women as equals and slowly but steadily turned it into a masculine domain. Still, that didn’t keep thousands of women over the past hundred years from becoming remarkable drivers, mechanics, engineers, stewards, motorsport journalists, team owners, and everything in between. Nor did it stop them from being motorsport fans.
Formula One is no exception. Although the championship likes to boast about its growing female fandom — which currently represents around 41% — the truth is that female fans were far from nonexistent before today. Sure, in 2017, Formula 1 estimated that only 8% of its global fandom was female, but in a universe of 352.8 million fans, that is still over 28 million women. The same applies to women working in the F1 ecosystem — the numbers are bigger now, but in no shape or form does it mean women weren’t part of Formula One’s workforce in the past 75 years.
What changed — besides the sheer number of women — is that this new wave of female fans is mostly young, and they are not just watching. They are participating, sharing, building and expecting the sport to show up and keep up. This, combined with the tremendous cultural and economic power young women wield — in 2024 alone, women controlled an estimated $31.8 trillion worldwide, and were responsible for 75% of discretionary spending — has profoundly shifted the power dynamics between female fans and the sport.
Even though Formula One’s establishment initially dismissed these incoming fans as just driver-obsessed girls. It quickly figured out that these fangirls were the key to having cultural relevancy, commercial appeal and a positive bottom line.
While this shift made the sport more willing to cater to its growing female fandom and engage in conversations surrounding the need for policies promoting gender equity within the sport. It did little to move the needle when it comes to representation. The Paddock Princess is a clear example of that.
It’s a palatable version of femininity — a woman who is allowed proximity to the sport so long as she is young, elegant and conventionally attractive. Her presence is decorative rather than participative, celebrated for her style, her grace, and her ability to match the allure of the event. She might be interested in the lifestyle around racing — glamorous travel, luxury fashion and exciting nightlife — but is often presumed to be uninterested in the tech, the strategy, or the competitive nature of the sport. She exists comfortably on the sidelines, admired but underestimated, visible but rarely heard. Her femininity is allowed because it reinforces the existing male dominance, not because it challenges it.
For decades, this has been the dominant portrayal of women in both the automotive industry and motorsport. In advertising, that often translates into women being depicted as either doting mothers or objects of desire — much like the cars themselves. In motorsport broadcasting and social media, women are still expected to fit a particular “ideal look” first, with everything else being an afterthought. Even in mass media about cars or racing, like films, these portrayals persist. In F1: The Movie, for example, the few female characters working in the APX team are either unprofessional or incompetent, and their presence primarily serves to drive the subplot of a potential love story.
These conservative male-driven ideas and beliefs about femininity inform not only how women are portrayed but shape everything else in the sport related to them — from the merch that’s developed to the types of sponsorships being pursued. One example of this is how both F1 and F1 Academy have leaned heavily into partnerships with fashion and beauty brands to try and capitalize on the growing female fandom.
While these industries are female-oriented, highly lucrative, and have global reach — making them attractive partners for Formula 1 — they also carry problematic legacies of promoting narrow beauty standards and unrealistic expectations for women.
As such, it’s no surprise that partnerships like the one with Charlotte Tilbury have sparked mixed reactions among female fans, many of whom see these sponsorships as reinforcing strict gender norms rather than celebrating the full spectrum of women working in F1 and following the sport.
This is not to suggest that an interest in any of these industries is bad or that WAGs and influencers — who often fit these desirable versions of femininity — are inherently negative. In fact, they’ve shown to be amazing entry points into the sport and a complementary way for teams, Formula 1, and partners to engage with specific fan segments.
It does, however, become an issue when the Formula One ecosystem limits its portrayal of women to these stereotypical tropes and favors those who embody their traits — sending the message, whether fully accurate or not, that access and participation hinges on meeting these standards.
This not only undermines the sense of belonging for fans and professionals —aspiring or established — but it profoundly misrepresents both the history and present reality of women’s participation. Female fans and motorsport professionals have always been here. Not as a trend. Not as “eye candy”. Not as a diversity hire. But as vital contributors to the sport and industry.
As such, what’s needed is not a surface-level nod, but a genuine recognition of the depth, diversity, and dynamism of women in Formula One — far beyond the Paddock Princess narrative the sport struggles to let go of.
The content I enjoyed last week!!
🗞 READ
Formula 1 and Motorsport Network unveil 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey | 75 years of F1? Not quite: How the magic of 1950 gave way to an identity crisis | At Wimbledon, Luxury Brands Get Tennis FOMO | The Man Turning Brad Pitt into an F1 Legend: Behind the Costumes with Julian Day | Ask an F1 Expert: Can You Crash Your Car on Purpose to Win a Race? | The F1 Movie Threatens to Change the Very Sport It Highlights
🎧 LISTEN
The Rest is Motorsport: Let’s Get Silverstoned | The Red Flags Podcast: Valtteri Bottas Talks Cadillac Seat, Toto Wolff’s Pet Peeves and Life as a Reserve Driver | F1 Explains: F1 Commentary + Team Radio with Alex Jacques and Jolyon Palmer | Team Torque: British GP with Damon Hill
Photo Credit: Formula 1 Paddock Club