Formula 1 drivers are no longer defined solely by what they do on a race weekend.
Away from grands prix, a growing number are becoming content platforms in their own right, engaging audiences through formats that sit far outside the traditional broadcast and media ecosystem.
This shift reflects a broader change in how fans, particularly younger audiences, consume the sport. Engagement is no longer concentrated around F1 races, but spread across the week through social-first, personality-led content that prioritises access and authenticity over polish.
One example of that new approach can be seen through Quadrant, the content and lifestyle brand originally co-founded by McLaren Mastercard F1 driver Lando Norris, which has increasingly positioned itself around that model.
“Quite often brands think about the brand first, the message, then the audience,” Jamie MacLaurin, Quadrant Chief Executive Officer, told Sector.
“We are very audience-first in everything that we do. If you don’t start with the audience, then the content won’t land in the way you want it to.
“It’s not about trying to compete with Formula One teams or the rights holders. They have their own channels and their own objectives.
“What we are doing is something different, building content around moments that don’t exist within the race weekend itself.”
While reigning world champion Norris remains involved, the platform has expanded beyond a single driver, working with his F1 contemporaries such as Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman.
The content produced through such collaborations has led to Quadrant expanding its online presence – it now reaches over 40 million fans globally and generates more than 1 billion impressions a year, with 280 million views across its YouTube channel alone.
Last week, the latest video posted on YouTube sees Norris joined by former McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz to test and race a selection of go-karts from the past 100 years.
It surpassed 2.5 million views within three days of being released, the best-perfoming video on the Quadrant channel over such a timeframe.
The opportunity to engage in content away from the pressure and time constraints of an F1 race weekend creates a very different dynamic for drivers, one that allows personality to come through more naturally.
In a sport where media obligations are tightly controlled and often highly structured, for the drivers to operate outside of that environment, there is greater freedom to experiment with formats, tone and storytelling, opening up new ways to connect with audiences.
“Drivers don’t want it to feel like work,” MacLaurin told Sector.
“If it feels like another media obligation, then it won’t land in the same way. The key is creating an environment where they can just be themselves.
“That’s when you get the best content, because it’s natural, it’s authentic and it resonates with the audience in a completely different way.
We are very audience-first in everything that we do. If you don’t start with the audience, then the content won’t land in the way you want it to.
Jamie MacLaurin
“It has to feel like something they want to be part of, not something they have to do.”
That distinction is increasingly valuable for partners as well. As F1’s commercial model continues to evolve, brands are looking for ways to engage audiences beyond traditional trackside exposure, particularly with younger demographics who are less likely to consume the sport through conventional channels.
Content built around drivers in more informal ways offer an alternative route, one that sits as close to entertainment as it does to sport, while still maintaining a clear connection to the F1 ecosystem.
“The goal is to build something that feels authentic to the audience,” MacLaurin added.
“If you can do that, then it becomes valuable not just from a content perspective, but from a commercial one as well.
“It gives partners a different way to connect with fans, and it gives drivers a platform that goes beyond the race weekend.”
