How do the roles of Nationalism and Identity in F1 play out? Racing legend and F1 commentator Graham Duxbury takes a closer look.
National pride has long played a role in Formula One, with teams being seen as national icons for their countries of origin. Back in the 1950s and ’60s F1 teams like Ferrari, Maserati and Lancia represented Italy and were painted in their national racing colour of “ross corsa” (racing red). Mercedes and Porsche flew the flag for Germany and wore silver. BRM, Lotus and Cooper were painted in British racing green. Other national colours were white with a red rondel (Japan), blue (France), blue and while (USA) and yellow (Belgium).
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Flying Your Colours
During this period, the colour was not always determined by the country in which the car was made, but by the nationality of the team. For example, Stirling Moss drove some races during the 1954 season in a British racing green Maserati 250F because the Italian-built car was entered by his father’s British-based team (AE Moss).
However, this general rule was not strictly kept. British-based privateer entrant, Rob Walker painted his cars in Scottish national colours (blue with a white stripe) instead of British racing green. And New Zealander, Bruce McLaren, who based his team in Britain, used a variety of colour schemes on his cars – including white, red, and orange – that were not based on any national ideologies.
National Honour
Nevertheless, in these times, there were often informal rivalries between nations, and F1 races were sometimes viewed as battles between countries, with fans supporting the team from their homeland. By the 1970s and 1980s, with the introduction of sponsorship in the 1968 South African Grand Prix, (by the Gunston cigarette company), the focus began to shift away from teams toward individual drivers.
Drivers such as Niki Lauda (Austria), Alain Prost (France), and Ayrton Senna (Brazil) transcended their teams and became national icons in their own right. Fans began to associate victories with individual drivers rather than the teams for which they drove. As F1 expanded globally, attracting fans from countries without strong team representations, these new audiences were more likely to support specific drivers who represented their national identity rather than European-based teams.
The intense personal rivalries between drivers, (Senna versus Prost for example) made fans more invested in individual battles. This intensified the sense of driver nationalism as fans identified more with their favourite driver’s personality and achievements, rather than the ethos and internal culture of any team
Today, the focus on driver nationalism is more pronounced than ever thanks to media – particularly social media – exposure.
International Superstars
In the digital age, drivers have become international superstars, with social media giving them direct access to their fanbases. This has allowed drivers to build personal brands independent of their teams.
A good example is Max Verstappen’s rise as a Dutch national hero over the past five years since his first championship win. This has galvanised a new wave of F1 fans in the Netherlands (the “orange army”) who wave orange flags, wear orange shirts and fill grandstands around the world. His success has sparked a nationwide surge in popularity for F1, driven by national pride.
Lewis Hamilton is arguably one of the most driver-centric figures in F1 history, using his platform to not only represent the UK but also champion global social causes, such as diversity and environmentalism. Hamilton’s fanbase extends far beyond Britain, but his status as the most successful British driver continues to reinforce his status as a national hero.
National Heroes
Both Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso have similarly strong national followings, with Leclerc representing Monaco and Alonso embodying Spanish pride. Alonso’s return to F1 (from sports- and Indycar competition) has re-energised a large Spanish fanbase, showing the lasting power of driver nationalism.
The shift toward driver nationalism has also redefined how fans engage with F1. The rise of driver-centric fandom can also be seen in merchandising, where driver-specific gear (hats, shirts, and even brands like “44” for Hamilton or and “1” for Verstappen) outsells team-related merchandise.
Personal Connection
Fans now tend to connect emotionally with drivers’ personal stories, making victories or defeats feel more personal. Drivers like Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are developing large followings due to their individual personalities, which transcend team alliances.
Looking to the future, we see emerging talents like racing prodigy Kimi Antonelli achieving increasingly significant levels of recognition in Italy, his home country, where he is considered to be one of the brightest young talents in F1.
The Italian public has a long history of supporting its motorsport stars, such as Ferrari drivers or MotoGP legends like Valentino Rossi, and if Antonelli continues on his current trajectory, he could very well be embraced by Italy in a similar way.