Like: MotoGP and Formula 1 on social media

Like many other sports, motorsport has also discovered social networks. You can read a lot of news on Twitter every day, especially about the two most popular categories, Formula 1 and Moto GP. I myself am a big Moto GP fan, which is why I follow a number of racing drivers and teams on their Twitter accounts. As everywhere in life, not everyone makes full use of the opportunities here. It's understandable that Fernando Alonso is too old for Twitter at the age of 30, but you'd expect a Generation Y member like Sebastian Vettel to have a lot of followers. Far from it. His digital behavior is that of a GDR civil servant.

Of the top drivers, only Hamilton @LewisHamilton and Button @JensonButton (first prize for the best profile picture) are in a racing car with the blue bird. The ranking of the "most influential" drivers is headed by - you'd never guess it - Rubens Barrichello @rubarrichello. With 1.1 million followers and 11,000 tweets, he's almost a superstar. At least on Twitter. Evil tongues would now say that he finally has the time for it (given his frequent absences).

With the teams, it's just like in real life. With 129,000 followers, Ferrari @InsideFerrari is in a class of its own. The complete absence of Mr. Schumacher (but there is a fan page @F1_Schumacher that calls him an "ex-Formula 1 driver" - social media is obviously still lagging behind reality) and Mr. Rossi proves that legends hardly have any time for Twitter. Accumulated 16 world championship titles and not a single tweet. Maybe that's why... But in Moto GP Alex Briggs @Alex_ Briggs, one of Rossi's mechanics, is the 5th "most influential". He also shares a lot of the insider news. A kind of digital biographer. And of course, the new big talent, Jorge Lorenzo (born in '87). With 230,000 followers, he is the future, on and off the racetrack. Incidentally, he is one of the few (this also applies to companies) who has understood that social media are networked. His Twitter page says "follow me!". With links to Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. Bravo! Sure, you could argue that the gentlemen would be better off doing their job than posting online about delayed flights or summer jobs. But then they would be neglecting a very important element of their brand value: proximity to the fans. If you know how to use social media as a motorsport fan, you have the feeling of being much closer to the drivers, as you can take part in their daily routine and contact them personally, tell them what you think of them. Sometimes you can even join in the discussion. You can see that this is the case from the re-tweets and replies from the pilots. The highly praised dialog is increasingly taking place. Thanks to social media, fans never run out of information about their passions, not even during the winter break. It never gets boring. I believe that this is just the beginning. Drivers, teams and other players will no longer be able to avoid using these tools professionally in the future. Drivers will be able to express their opinions even more directly and thus bypass the filter of the media. Teams will shift their side activities and use social media for both branding and merchandising. Last but not least, the racetracks will use Foursquare check-ins and other integrations on site and online to ensure that visitors can have the 360-degree experience 365 days a year. Manuel P. Nappo, Head of Studies CAS Social Media Management HWZ.