Twitter has been a huge platform for F1 fans. The social media site has been a big gathering point for loyal fan bases of top drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc among others.
Teams and pundits have regularly used the site to improve their connections with fans. If you are an F1 fan, you could get a good glimpse of race highlights, recent news, and interesting stats of all drivers and teams in an instant.
However, in recent months, the social media giant has picked up some heat thanks to Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue program. The new rules of the platform came into force yesterday, which resulted in 18 of the 20 drivers in the 2023 grid losing their verification status.
Tomorrow, 4/20, we are removing legacy verified checkmarks. To remain verified on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue here: https://t.co/gzpCcwOXAX
Organizations can sign up for Verified Organizations here: https://t.co/YtPVNYypHU
— Twitter Verified (@verified) April 19, 2023
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and others lose blue tick status on Twitter
On April 20th, Twitter revoked the verification checkmarks of many high-profile legacy accounts. This resulted in 90% of the current drivers on the 2023 grid losing their blue ticks. This includes the likes of Hamilton, Verstappen, Alonso, Leclerc, and others.
These are some of the most widely recognized drivers who lost their “legacy” verification marks. The only way the drivers can reclaim their blue ticks is if they pay the $8 monthly subscription to Twitter Blue.
It looks like every F1 driver has lost theirs pic.twitter.com/yIa27VS2rm
— RBR Daily (@RedBullUpdates) April 20, 2023
Only 2 drivers, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas have retained their blue tick status after purchasing the platform’s new plan. At the time of writing, barring McLaren and Red Bull, the remaining 8 teams have also lost their verification status.
Popular former F1 drivers like Jenson Button, Damon Hill, Mick Schumacher & Daniel Ricciardo have not been spared. A lot of athletes from various sports have also lost this unique status.
How will losing blue ticks affect F1 drivers?
Lewis Hamilton is the most followed F1 driver on the platform with 8 Million followers. Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc float around the 3 mil mark with 3.5, 3.2, and 3 Million followers respectively.
Twitter is one of the most widely used mediums for F1 drivers to connect with fans. The platform has its advantages as drivers can articulate their feelings with text. Fans get a better chance to engage with their icons with retweets and comments.
Still got it. ✅😉 pic.twitter.com/ezPlEA2lqK
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 21, 2023
However, with the blue ticks rescinded, both fans and drivers could fall victim to proxy accounts. A user could subscribe to Twitter Blue and fake their identity as an F1 driver. This could leave several fans open to malicious cyber attacks and online scams.
Drivers like Hamilton also use the platform to share updates on their social causes and have been outspoken on a number of topics. The Briton could face a lack of interaction with his posts. Moreover, remaining unverified could impact the credibility of the post and leave it vulnerable for bad actors to take a disadvantage.
