In a sport as competitive as F1, it’s no surprise that the athletes want to win in every single department — including the popularity contest.
After a year of complete and utter dominance, on October 7, in Qatar, global sensation, Max Verstappen bagged his third world title.
With natural flare, a rugged determination and sublime racing IQ, the Dutchman is en route to cementing his place as one of the greatest drivers to ever sit behind the wheel. But regardless of his success, he’s yet to win over the fans.
Max Verstappen won’t be happy with these F1 rankings
That’s right, as per research conducted by OLBG, the 26-year-old is only the sixth most popular driver.
F1 enthusiasts were asked to rank all 20 drivers in order of preference, with a score of one being given to their favourite and 20 to their least favourite.
With a mean average of 9.31, Verstappen isn’t anywhere near the top of the table. And in news that will likely render him furious, his arch-rival, Lewis Hamilton, took home the spoils with a dominant 6.54.
His score, cleared him of his nearest rival, Fernando Alonso, by a comprehensive 2.08, and put him in front of bronze medalist Lando Norris by a whopping 2.3.
An OLBG spokesperson said: “Formula One drivers throughout history have been global megastars, and the class of 2023 are no different, though some stars shine brighter than others. Sports fans have spoken and have crowned Lewis Hamilton as the most popular driver on the grid, beating Fernando Alonso to top spot as fellow Brit Lando Norris takes third.
“Reigning world champion Max Verstappen finds himself in the unfamiliar position of being away from top spot and was only ranked as the sixth most-popular driver.”
F1 popularity table
| Position | Driver | Mean rank 1-20 |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 6.54 |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | 8.62 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 8.84 |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | 9.23 |
| 5 | George Russell | 9.27 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 9.31 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | 9.78 |
| 8 | Sergio Perez | 10.27 |
| 9 | Valtteri Bottas | 10.41 |
| 10 | Carlos Sainz | 10.43 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | 10.83 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnunssen | 11.34 |
| 13 | Oscar Piastri | 11.37 |
| T14 | Lance Stroll | 11.62 |
| T14 | Pierre Gasly | 11.62 |
| 16 | Alex Albon | 11.66 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | 11.7 |
| 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | 12.18 |
| 19 | Logan Sargeant | 12.19 |
| 20 | Zhou Guanyu | 12.78 |
Featured Image Credit: F1