Staying Power: F1's new, young fans are committed for the long haul

Attracting fresh eyes is one thing, keeping them engaged for the long-term is another – but Formula 1 looks set to retain its newer, always-on fandom.

New audiences have been attracted to F1 in recent years, whether that be through a growing presence in the United States or the wildly successful Drive to Survive series on Netflix.

While the sheer number of fresh eyes on the product are impressive, F1 knows that keeping them glued on its output is, over a longer period of time, much more important.

As the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey shows, the series is succeeding in that quest, with a huge 94% of all respondents saying they expect to still be following F1 five years from now. The numbers run deep, too, with new and old fans alike committing to the championship.

The figure only leaps higher when singling out Gen Z fans (97%), respondents from the US (95%) and 96% with ‘new’ fans – those following the series for fewer than five years.

Long-term F1 followers who were surveyed were also in a large majority when it came to remaining fans for the next five years (93%) – as well as those fans over the age of 45, with almost a third of respondents stating their commitment to remain.

Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Formula One Group

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“We are excited about our future,” F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said in his opening remarks in the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey introduction.

“As we enter 2026, we will see a new era of cars with sustainable fuel and a new team and new venue that will further improve the battle on the track. And we know our fans are excited too.”

While much of the credit for the increasing popularity of F1 has been put down to Drive to Survive, the 2025 survey throws up some interesting figures when it comes to the path into the series.

Of the aforementioned ‘new’ fans, 16% attributed their F1 affiliation to the Netflix docuseries, while overall numbers showed 39% of the 100,000 respondents' entry point was through friends and family – far and away still the most common pathway.

These figures are key to F1’s growth but also to the long-term planning that can be put into action, knowing the majority of fans are here to stay.