A recent poll found that McLaren was voted the most popular F1 team ahead of Red Bull, while Ferrari was only third and Mercedes was fourth. Toto Wolff believes the Woking outfit deserves its fan popularity.
167,302 fans took part in the survey by the Motorsport Network in collaboration with F1 and Nielsen Sports. ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
However, it was the results of team popularity that really surprised, with eight-time world champion Mercedes finishing fourth behind Ferrari while McLaren was voted the most popular ahead of Red Bull.
“It was very flattering, especially considering where we’ve been for the past five years,” said Zak Brown, “so to see our popularity grow with increasing results …
“I think our drivers did an excellent job and played a big part in being a very personable team,” he added. “All of the men and women at McLaren have worked so hard, that’s flattering.
“We are trying to give the fans and our partners a great show and it’s nice to see the very positive feedback from a large group of fans all over the world.”
“Of course you want your team to be number one everywhere,” added Toto Wolff to the results, “but I think it’s the normal development that we expected.
“We were very fortunate to have won seven straight wins,” he continued, “and it’s clear that at a time when you are cheering on teams with harder times and a little more underdogs, you cheer more.
“They do a great job with the drivers too,” he added, “with long-time loved Daniel and Lando who is doing pretty well. So you deserve to be at the top because of the overall package in terms of marketing is at the forefront. ” and social media is just very good.
“We have to think about what we can do, but you can’t change history and I wouldn’t want to change it.”
For a long time Wolff was considered the face of Formula 1 and was asked whether Ferrari ranked third among the favorites.
“Ferrari is the brand in Formula 1 and has been there from the start and will always be very attractive,” he said. “I think what is interesting to see is that McLaren is just so much bigger in terms of fan attraction and yes, they have to ask themselves the questions why that is.”
Commenting on his own team, which only ranks third on the popularity list, he said: “We have to find out for ourselves how we can improve and what needs to be done without compromising performance on the track, which always comes first . I want everything to go well. “
“It’s an incredible brand with a rich history in sports,” said Brown of Ferrari. “I don’t follow them closely to have an idea of what they do and how they involve their fans, but they are one of the most famous brands in the world and it’s a snapshot, so I don’t think Ferrari is different because of it Popularity has to worry too many. “
Regarding Wolff’s claim that McLaren is “so much bigger,” Brown said, “All I can really do is speak up about how we do motorsport. We try to be a fun racing team, an inclusive one Racing team, drivers, they are very open and often and often communicate with their fans and talk to them, listen to them.
“So we just do our thing and it’s nice to see that they respond so positively to it.
“I’m trying to bring in a bit of … I’m a big fan of the sport, “he continued,” so I try to get that in front of the lens. It wasn’t long ago that I sat in the stands and watched the Ayrton Sennas and the Lewises trying to understand what would excite me about the sport and we are just trying to give that experience back to the fans and it seems to work . “
Meanwhile, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admits to being surprised by the fact that Hamilton isn’t the most popular driver, and admits that this is likely due to the poll’s demographics.
“In a way, I have to say yes,” said the Italian when asked if he was surprised that the seven-time champion was only third behind Verstappen and Norris. “But on the other hand, if you think about the demographics of the people who are more involved in voting like this, I think you understand why Lando has a great audience in that regard.
“It’s more to do with having a fresh approach,” he added, “in a way that is closer to the people who are following it. That’s my personal view.
“I don’t want to give a larger order of magnitude than it is, but it is definitely a sign that, as I always said, we have no problem with the drivers for the future,” he continued. “We have an incredible group of young, very talented and very good drivers who are valuable for Formula One.”
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