Journalists, Social Media and Formula One: Life Inside the Piranha Club

Abstract

The global sport of Formula One (F1) has seen a transformation in its relationship with the media and communications industries since the motor sport was taken over by American mass media company Liberty Media Corporation. As a sport, F1 has broadened its appeal to new audiences by expanding its exposure across media platforms, most successfully via the Netflix series Drive to Survive. In addition, the reach and diversity of F1’s coverage have been developed through social media platforms with a view to promoting the sport to younger and more diverse audiences. This new media ecology has also caused legacy media organisations, such as traditional forms of motorsports journalism, to rethink how they engage with both the sport and this new audience. Based on interviews with journalists, broadcasters and communications managers inside motorsport, the chapter addresses how different social media platforms are used by both F1 and its media partners in a highly competitive media environment.