Verstappen voted F1's most popular driver as Hamilton falls to third

167,302 fans from 187 countries took part in F1’s biggest-ever survey that was conducted in conjunction with Nielsen Sports and Motorsport Network.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton had topped the last survey in 2017 but he has fallen to third behind Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris. 

Verstappen came out on top with 14.4% of the vote, with Norris getting 13.7%. Hamilton topped the UK poll and 35 and over age groups and was second in the US vote, but sat third in the overall ranking. 

McLaren was named favourite team with 29.5% of the vote. Red Bull were second with 19.8%, while Ferrari fell from first to third with 17.9%, ahead of Mercedes on 11.9%. 

The results were presented on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. 

Fans responded positively to F1’s plans to move to sustainable fuels, with 55% of fans wanting the sport to become a world leader in technology. 

55% of participants also agreed that F1 is “in better health than five years ago”, compared to 25% of fans in 2017. 

“We are privileged as a sport to be truly international, racing in continents and countries around the world with a global fan base,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. 

“We reach every corner of the globe through our events, tv broadcast and social media and media content. This is a blessing – to have such a platform – but it is also a responsibility. We must protect what we have, grow it, reach more fans, and ensure those blessings remain and get stronger.

“The results of the survey show we are doing the right things and we will continue to be focused on creating excitement and entertainment on and off the track which is what all our fans want. We are hugely excited about our future, and we know our fans are too.”

F1 Global Survey 2021 - Top 10 Favourite Drivers 

1. Max Verstappen - 14.4%

2. Lando Norris - 13.7%

3. Lewis Hamilton - 12.5%

4. Daniel Ricciardo - 10.2%

5. Sebastian Vettel - 9%

6. Charles Leclerc - 7.4%

7. Fernando Alonso - 7.3%

8. Kimi Raikkonen - 5.4%

9. George Russell - 4%

10. Pierre Gasly - 2.9%