Hamilton falls behind Verstappen in F1 popularity stakes

Lewis Hamilton has fallen behind Max Verstappen in the popularity stakes among fans with over 167,000 votes cast in the sport's largest survey to date.

Formula 1 and Motorsport Network, in collaboration with Nielsen Sports, completed its first fan survey since 2017 to gauge the mood of the watching public.

In the last survey, Hamilton secured over 20% of the vote but this time, the seven-time champion has fallen behind title rival Verstappen and also McLaren driver Lando Norris.

Although Hamilton remains a firm favourite in the UK, Brazil and Canada, It is Verstappen that tops the tables in the Netherlands, Japan and the United States.

The rise of Lando Norris both on track and among fans, the Briton still two years away from joining the grid when the last such survey was completed, with 40 per cent ranking the 21-year-old in their top three favourite drivers.

"Putting the drivers at the centre of F1 [is a priority] as they are the souls and the ambassadors of the sport," said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

"The level of talent we have today on the grid is among the highest in F1 history and we should celebrate that."

Daniel Ricciardo was ranked fourth, making McLaren the most popular team on the grid. As a team, McLaren saw its popularity almost double to 29.5 per cent, a figure that rises to 50 per cent among female fans.

Of the drivers aged under 25 on the grid, Norris, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly and George Russell all feature inside the top 10 most popular drivers.

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