Charles Leclerc and George Russell top the AI attractiveness rankings, while Lewis Hamilton dominates the social media popularity race
Source: https://www.pexels.com/nl-nl/foto/formule-1-races-met-hoge-snelheid-op-een-natte-baan-29309760/
TORONTO, ON, 2026 – Formula 1 is a sport built around speed, performance and engineering, but its biggest stars are also competing for attention away from the track. New analysis by Jackpot City has compared AI-generated facial attractiveness scores with social media followings across the current F1 grid, revealing a clear divide between who AI considers the most attractive and who has the biggest fanbase.
Charles Leclerc and George Russell top F1’s AI attractiveness ranking
Charles Leclerc and George Russell come out on top of the AI ratings of the drivers. The pair has the same score of 586, the highest of any of the 22 drivers analysed. The Canadian Lance Stroll is placed 12th out of 22 drivers.
Leclerc is the winner of the test on looks and digital popularity. The Ferrari driver has 34.7 million followers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and X. But this does not mean that the tan alone is good for digital popularity!
Lewis Hamilton dominates the popularity race
Despite his 575 AI points, Lewis Hamilton has by far the largest social media following of any driver analysed, with 66.2 million followers, nearly twice as many as Charles Leclerc, and so leads the popularity contest despite being outranked by several drivers on the Attractiveness scale. Lewis is the undisputed king of social media, the more so as several of his competitors are ahead of him.
Max Verstappen also demonstrates the difference between popularity on the net and in the AI index. The Red Bull driver got 566, but he has a following of 26.3 million. Meanwhile, younger drivers are scoring highly in the AI analysis despite having smaller audiences. Oscar Piastri logged 580, while Kimi Antonelli had 577.
James Vowles named F1’s most attractive team principal
The AI analysis also turned its attention to the people behind the pit wall. James Vowles of Atlassian Williams F1 Team ranked as the most attractive team principal, scoring 541 points, equivalent to an AI attractiveness score of 80.
The analysis also estimated Vowles’ facial age at 42, five years younger than his actual age of 47.
Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu ranked second with 530 points, followed by Andrea Stella of McLaren and Graeme Lowdon of Cadillac F1, who both scored 525 points. Toto Wolff of Mercedes rounded out the top five with 524 points.
Mercedes takes the social media crown
The battle for digital popularity extends beyond individual drivers and team principals. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is the most-followed constructor in the analysis, with 44.86 million followers across its social media platforms. Oracle Red Bull Racing follows with 42.95 million, while Scuderia Ferrari HP ranks third with 41.74 million followers.
The results highlight how Formula 1’s biggest names are competing for attention on a second track: social media, where attractiveness, personality and popularity can be measured alongside performance on the circuit.
The full study and data breakdown can be found here: https://www.jackpotcitycasino.com/canada/blog/f1-attractiveness-and-popularity-index/
About the Study
To provide a data-driven overview of the grid, Jackpot City analyzed current F1 drivers and team leadership using standard facial AI evaluation software. The analysis assessed facial symmetry, skin smoothness, perceived facial age and handsomeness. Social media follower counts were aggregated in April 2026 across official Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and X accounts.
About Jackpot City
Jackpot City is a premier online gaming destination, providing world-class entertainment to players across Canada since 1998. Licensed and regulated, Jackpot City offers a secure and fair gaming environment featuring over 500 of the industry’s most popular casino games. Committed to responsible gaming and exceptional player rewards, Jackpot City remains a trusted leader in the online casino industry, delivering the thrill of Vegas-style gaming directly to Canadian fans on both desktop and mobile platforms.