McLaren top team in ING/F1 Racing poll
McLaren has overtaken its top Formula 1 rival Ferrari in the popularity stakes, according to the results of a global fan survey.
A year after the Fernando Alonso turmoil and the ‘Stepneygate’ spy scandal, the Mercedes powered team has emerged as the sport’s most popular outfit in the results of the survey, carried out by Renault’s title sponsor ING and published in the British magazine F1 Racing.
The survey, spanning 160 countries and involving 70,000 people, showed 29% selecting McLaren as their favourite team.
The result is a dramatic turnaround compared with the survey two years ago, when McLaren attracted only 21 per cent of the vote, and the arrival of the new world champion Lewis Hamilton must be credited.
It means Ferrari, previously F1’s standout favourite among fans, dipped in popularity from its previous 30 per cent two years ago to 28 per cent in 2008.
The next two favourite teams were Williams and Renault, each polling 6 per cent.
“While Lewis deserves every accolade he has received since becoming the youngest world champion the sport has ever seen, in reality, for this to be achieved requires the same level of dedication and hard work from every member of the team in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart,” McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh said in reaction.
68 per cent of those who completed the online survey said they have followed F1 for 10 years or more, and a third said they attend at least one race per season.
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BMW was voted the favourite F1 team of F1 Fanatic readers last year
I agree, Ferrari has gotten to be The Establishment, and so many people feel that they get preferential treatment, aside from more money than the other teams. I dont think that McLaren is popular because of Lewis, its just that McLaren are a great team with a great image and a beautiful name and history.
Ferrari has gotten to be boring and corporate, and are perceived to be privileged by Bernie and the FIA. It is much more fun for a driver to win a championship in a car other than a Ferrari : you have beaten The Establishment !
Cheers for McLaren ! well done !
I totally agree
@ Arthur954
Maybe the idea is that anyone can win in a Ferrari, and that a title with any other team is valued more, today.
I do think it is because of Lewis as he was also voted most popular driver in the same survey, getting 27% of the vote, with Kimi next on 16%, then Alonso on 12% and Massa on 9%.
I think Lewis is a big factor in the McLaren popularity - the survey also revealed that the majority of fans support drivers more than teams, and would follow their favourite driver from team to team.
McLaren are of course very popular in their own right, and for very good reason. But I think Lewis is what pushed them ahead of Ferrari.
As an aside, I was shocked to see Trulli finish bottom of the pile for driver popularity - I’ve always been a big fan.
“BMW was voted the favourite F1 team of F1 Fanatic readers last year”
thanks to our polish friends no doubt.
To suggest mclaren isnt popular because of Lewis is a spectacularly bad call ! But i bet Lewis was also top of any least favourite driver poll
Good news. Just what is needed to create a little more rivalry in the pits.
Where can we see the results in there entirety?
In January’s ‘F1 Racing’ magazine. Get it now as the new issue comes out in about a week. Better still, get a subscription. I’m not an employee of Haymarket publishing, honest!
There could also be some classic “support the underdog” mentality too, I’m a Ferrari fan but even I’ve been feeling sorry for McLaren over the last few years.
Their treatment at the hands of the FIA has been disgusting (I was going to say shocking but to be honest it’s not that much of a shock any more).
I think you’re right about that, but at least that’s one thing he has in common with Senna, most people either love him or hate him with very few people being left in the middle.
It makes me laugh because its the same in everything all over the world. People at the top (in this case Lewis) are envied by people who are not (the rest of the drivers on the grid).
P.S - Thanks @ S Hughes
And probaby thanks to Poles Kubica won favourite driver standing. Lewis was second.
Since I havn’t heard about any action in polish internet I know we can win every poll in the Internet.
I don’t really care for teams unless I like both drivers, which is rare.
I STILL SUPPORT LIGIER, AND ALWAYS WILL…
Does the survey also says something about which countries voted for which team?
McLaren are more popular now for many reasons, besides the Hamilton factor, but because of the way they were treated and the way they have responded.
F1 fans, like supporters of many other sports, have long memories and can remember past occasions and injustices.
The way McLaren were made out to be back in 2007, as the villianous cheats compared to Ferrari’s ‘we are whiter than white’ victims, rankled alot of people.
Then last year we had several different occasions in which McLaren again were taken to task, most notably in Belgium, which could so easily have destroyed their hopes of the championship.
I think the same can be said in other sports, other motor racing series. In the IRL, everybody wants to beat Chip Ganassi or Team Penske, or Rick Hendrick in NASCAR, as they are more often than not the pacesetters.
In football, traditionally, it is always the same teams fighting for the titles. Your Manchester United’s, your Barcelona’s, AC Milan’s, and so on and so forth. It is human nature to go with the underdog.
For so many years, Ferrari have ruled the roost, and the vast majority of fans appreciate the change. Mind you, if Hamilton and McLaren dominate the championship in a Schumacheresque style, expect the order to be readressed and quickly.
To be perfectly honest with you, I am longing for the day when Williams dominates the championship again, but I guess I’ll have to keep on dreaming.