F1

Do you support a driver or a team?

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 24 total)
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  • #132172
    lamo2802
    Participant

    The other day at work I was asked if I would be supporting Lewis next year at Mercedes. I explained I support Mclaren and whomever drives for them, whether that be Lewis, JB, Kimi, DC, Mika or anyone else.

    I said it was just like football in that I always have and always will support the team, but got wondering how many people actually support one team or a particular driver, who ever they should drive for?

    #211621
    the_sigman
    Participant

    I support Alonso, but since he got to Ferrari, I loved them more than I did with Renault or Mclaren when Fernando was there.

    #211622

    At the last time of asking the most popular team had slightly more supporters than the most popular driver:

    https://www.racefans.net/2012/05/21/button-1000-fans-f1-fantic/

    This doesn’t tell us which one people support first, of course, but it nevertheless interesting. Michael Schumacher, for instance, has 30% more supporters than Mercedes.

    I’m particularly keen to see how the recent driver moves affect this data. Expect a follow-up piece on it, though possibly not until the season has ended.

    #211623
    Girts
    Participant

    I have always supported drivers, not teams. Well, it’s not that I don’t have a soft spot for a couple of teams or that I don’t like some teams better than the others. For instance, I quite like Force India, I like how they promote their country, usually like their choice of drivers and appreciate what they’ve been able to achieve with a relatively low budget. But teams are organisations and they usually change in the course of time until nothing is left from the way they once were. Of course, people’s characters can change up to a point as well but Pastor Maldonado will always remain Pastor Maldonado.

    #211624
    Asanator
    Participant

    Team for me, have been a Ferrari fan since 1996 and support both of their drivers above all others during a race. Of course I have a soft spot for a few other drivers, especially Ex-Ferrari drivers but then I haven’t had to see one of them leave the team for a true Rival and felt that sense of betrayal!

    #211625
    SirCoolbeans
    Participant

    I’ve been watching the sport since 1992 and I’ve found my views changing a lot over those 20 years. I initially started supporting Nigel Mansell and then Damon Hill, but you eventually learn that teams are really the heart of the sport as drivers retire and move around. McLaren will still be there once Hamilton has retired. So I found myself supporting Williams. Now days I still support Williams but I’m more interested in a great race and just love the whole paddock. I’d rather watch an exciting Grand Prix than a boring one where a Williams driver races off into the distance.

    So I guess I’ve gone from supporting a driver, to a team, to eventually just the sport. :D

    #211626
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    I definately back drivers and follow them around, but I tend to support the teams they race for while racing for them, and sometimes I build up a lingering support for them. For example, when Jenson Button left Brawn, I felt some support for the team when they were rebranded as Mercedes, but that has naturally faded in the past three years.

    I’ll certainly be supproting McLaren next year, since my two favourite drivers are racing for them.

    #211627
    moshbeard
    Member

    I’ve never really supported particular teams or drivers, I just like F1 in general. There are teams I prefer, I feel a certain sense of loyalty to Williams and McLaren because I’m British and I’ve always backed British drivers but never really tied myself to any team or driver.

    #211628
    raymondu999
    Participant

    I support Vettel, but have always supported McLaren, which has left me torn for the last 2.7 seasons. With Vettel looking a likely prospect for Ferrari in 2014, that may have me supporting McLaren and, by proxy, Ferrari!

    I also support young drivers who I feel have a fair bit of potential. Right now my eye (in this category) is on Hulkenberg and Vergne.

    @prisoner-monkeys I wasn’t aware Petrov had signed for McLaren :P

    #211629
    Kingshark
    Participant

    I have been a Ferrari fan since 2002, for 10 years now, and I always will. Thus, I obviously support Alonso this season, and Massa too. Although besides the team, Ferrari, I also support some other drivers such as Rosberg and Perez.

    #211630
    tmekt
    Participant

    I’ve grown up supporting Kimi and can’t imagine getting excited about anyone else’s success. I even stopped watching F1 for seasons 2010 and 2011 because of his absence.

    #211631
    necrodethmortem
    Participant

    I don’t understand how anyone could support a team first. For all you know they might sign some insufferable oaf and then you’d have to root for him? Imagine being a Williams fan right now, or a Ferrari fan that can’t stand Alonso.

    Ever since Mika Häkkinen retired, I haven’t had a driver I truly like.

    #211632
    James Hosford
    Participant

    Yeah neither in particular.

    I’m essentially a tifosi, but was always hoping for ANYONE else to win during 2004.

    Ultimately it’s about national colours. I’ve had Webber for the last decade as my primary support. Alonso and Ferrari were the villains in 2010 when it looked they were going to beat Webber to the title.

    I was never really an Alonso fan massively before that either, I wanted Raikkonen to win in 05 (more coz it would be a cool comeback upset really, although I always like Kimi) and certainly went for Michael in 06.

    But nowadays I’m a massive Alonso/Ferrari fan and am desperately hoping he wins this year. He’s just been so amazing this year and shown how miles clear he is as the best in the world. It’s been 6 long years since he won a title and he deserves more, and Ferrari have waited 5 years. So I’m heavily going for Alonso this year (although that’s under the proviso that I consider Webber out of contention).

    Whilever there’s an Australian though, that’s where my primary support lies.

    #211633
    magon4
    Participant

    I am a nationalist in F1. This means I generally support German drivers (although I am Brazilian) and teams that have any connection to Germany; but drivers a clear first.
    Michael Schumacher from 1992 until the disappointment in Jerez 1997. After that, Frentzen for a while, then Ralf, Heidfeld and Seb Vettel since 1998. It might look like I support success, but actually I liked Michael since he started, and because he was German and had those qualities (honest, hard-working, naive). Sebastian is a great representative of the new generation, as a person, and I was rooting for him even before his Monza win with Toro Rosso.
    I’d love to see Schumi for another season (although it’s looking less likely every day), and I support Rosberg a lot. Hülkenberg is good, but I actually think Sutil is even better; and Glock is also great, actually.
    I like McLaren for there current image, and I am sympathetic to Red Bull (I like Horner, I hate Marko). I hope Williams gets the curve and have always had a soft spot for Sauber.

    #211634
    robk23
    Participant

    I’m a bit split, I mainly support a team and whoever drives for it but I do support other drivers mainly due to nationality and their image as I enjoy that connection. So I support McLaren but it just so happens that Jenson Button also drives for them, him being my preferred driver.

    When I was young in the ’90s I supported McLaren while also supporting Damon Hill when he was at Jordan.

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