How VCARB Turned Gen Z into Formula 1’s New Core Audience
When Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, or VCARB, launched a deliberate youth-first playbook, they were betting on culture, not just cars. The team rebranded its messaging to speak Gen Z’s language: short-form video, behind-the-scenes authenticity, leaning into obscure social media trends, and collaborations with creators who already live on TikTok. That tactic was never about one-off virality. It was an ecosystem move to make F1 feel discoverable and less intimidating for younger fans.
TikTok proved the perfect delivery system. VCARB’s content leans into quick edits, sound-driven clips, POV-style paddock moments, and meme-able driver moments. These videos reward repeat views and community remixing. Those snackable assets create low-friction entry points: a 15-second edit can turn a passerby into a subscriber, then into someone who follows race weekends, drivers, and the wider sport. The result is measurable; social media-first storytelling has shifted where and how Gen Z encounters F1, altering the entry into the fandom.
But VCARB didn’t act alone. Teams across the paddock copied the playbook, hiring dedicated short-form content editors, creating TikToks and viral moments, and giving creators editorial freedom to experiment. Job listings and hiring trends show teams now seek TikTok-savvy editors who can turn complex racing moments into shareable, micro-stories. Overall, this new strategy is creating a structural change in motorsport media operations.
Creators and community builders accelerated the effect. Gen Z creators, many of whom were introduced to F1 through documentaries like ‘Drive to Survive’, reframed the sport with humor, fashion, and personality-led breakdowns. They have made F1 culturally relevant beyond the track. Their content amplifies team posts, stitches viral clips into fresh takes, and turns fandom into a social activity rather than a niche hobby.
The wider implication is at the industry level, a lot of the traction for a team is now platform-driven. VCARB’s experiment proved that if you design for the attention economy, which is short, authentic, and remixable, you can convert digital curiosity into sustained interest. Other teams are following, and as they do, the demographic profile of F1 shifts: Gen Z is no longer the fringe audience, but a core constituency shaping how the sport markets itself, designs content, and even picks spokespeople. However, as Formula 1 expands globally and leans deeper into entertainment, it faces a growing challenge of maintaining the balance between spectacle and substance. Longtime fans value F1’s technical purity, heritage, and the intense strategy that defines the sport’s legacy. Meanwhile, newer fans, particularly those drawn in by viral moments and personality-driven storytelling, often connect with the show rather than the engineering.
