Carlos Sainz, the Spanish driver for Ferrari, emerged victorious in the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, just 15 days after an appendicitis operation that kept him out of the Bahrain Grand Prix. His feat was a highlight on social media, where his record-breaking recovery was praised by rivals, media, and fans worldwide.
The Ferrari team achieved their first one-two finish since March 2022 as Charles Leclerc secured the second spot on the podium after Max Verstappen’s early race retirement. This weekend, Sainz became the only driver to beat Red Bull in the last 30 Formula 1 races, and he has done so twice.
Sainz’s Momentum on Social Media
The most notable post of the weekend was shared by McLaren’s Lando Norris, featuring a photo of Sainz sporting a bandage on his abdomen and Norris joking about having to have his appendix removed after the success of the Spanish driver.
Sainz’s presence in the top six most-engaged Formula 1-related posts this weekend confirms his influence on social media. In the two previous Grand Prix races, the Spanish driver was also featured in the best performing posts on social media.
Formula 1 Dominates Instagram
The start of the 2024 season has been successful for the official Formula 1 Instagram account, as it has improved its follower growth, total engagement, engagement per post, and post views compared to 2023.
The Formula 1 Instagram account has experienced significant growth during March 2024. Since the beginning of the month, it has gained 925,9K new followers, reaching 27.5 million. Compared to the same period last year, F1 nearly doubled the number of new followers.
In terms of post performance, engagement on the platform has significantly improved, with 139.6 million interactions recorded from March 1 to March 25, compared to 124.2 million in 2023. The average interactions per post have also increased from 456,800 to 539,100 this year. Although total views have decreased, with 415.2 million this year compared to 603.5 million last year, the average video views per post have increased by 1.2 million compared to 2023, reaching 3.2 million views per post on Instagram.
Sponsors, the Other Winners
Through Blinkfire’s Sponsorship Report, we can determine which brands have received more exposure on the official channels of a competition, teams, players, media, and other entities.
During the week of the Australian Grand Prix, from Monday, March 18, to Sunday, March 24, Rolex achieved a total engagement of 2 million on the competition’s official channels. In terms of valuation, the watch brand earned $951,000 compared to Salesforce’s $339,500, the brand with the second-most exposure.
These official sponsors of the competition obtained the highest valuation on the official Formula 1 channels:
The brands Rolex, Salesforce, and Lenovo have dominated the scene at the Australian Grand Prix with their presence on the circuit’s safety barriers and advertising arches. Rolex stands out even more by strategically positioning itself at the back of the podium, a moment in the event that captures all the attention. Similarly, Ferrari Trento, the chosen champagne brand for the pilots’ toast, enjoys the spotlight. On the other hand, Salesforce sponsors one of the most engaging posts: the ‘Driver of the Day’. Puma not only serves as an official sponsor of Formula 1, but also acts as a supplier to various racing teams, notably Ferrari.
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