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World championship leader Max Verstappen beat title rival Lewis Hamilton as Formula One’s fan favourite in the sport’s latest global survey published ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix on Thursday.
Feedback from 167,000 fans, with an average age of 32 and coming from 187 countries, placed Red Bull’s Verstappen top of the popularity stakes with McLaren emerging as the favourite team.
Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and Monaco were the most loved circuits.
The survey was commissioned by Formula One and Motorsport Network and conducted by Nielsen Sports, who said it was their largest ever involving a single sport.
Verstappen, leads Mercedes’ seven times world champion Hamilton by six points with six races remaining and the 24-year-old Dutchman was particularly popular among the 25-34 age bracket and across all regions.
McLaren’s 21-year-old Lando Norris, yet to win a race, was second overall but ranked highest by female fans.
Mercedes’ Hamilton was third overall but top in Britain and among the over-45s.
“His appeal, and that of fellow multiple world champion Fernando Alonso, appears more polarized than most,” the survey found.
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali told reporters he was surprised, although the result could be explained by the generally younger demographic.
“For sure it’s a sign that we don’t have a problem with drivers for the future,” he added.
McLaren’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fourth, and second most popular among female fans, with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, a four times world champion, fifth.
They were followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Alpine’s double world champion Alonso.
The results showed greater interest and engagement than before, with female participation in the survey growing to 18.3% from a previous 10% in 2017.
Three quarters of those who responded lived in a country with a grand prix.
Some 90% of…
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Source : espn
