The survey offered an opportunity for fans to tell Formula 1 what they want and what they value about the sport to enable the championship to make strategic decisions for the future.

Nielsen said the sample of 167,302 responses was the largest and most diverse sample ever, with female participation doubling and the average age of a participant dropping four years (since the last survey in 2017) to 32.

McLaren have risen to the top of the pile when fans were asked to name their favorite team with 29.5 percent of the vote, ahead of Red Bull (19.8 percent), with Ferrari (17.9 percent) dropping from first to third, and Mercedes (11.9 percent) down to fourth. Aston Martin have doubled their support since rebranding from Force India.

The Woking-based team also recorded nearly 50 percent popularity among female fans, while 40 percent of the 16-24 age group ranked them as their number one. It was the top-ranked team in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. Regionally, McLaren was ranked first in Europe, The Americas and Middle East & Africa, falling to second in Asia-Pacific behind Red Bull Racing.

On the driver front, Max Verstappen came out on top with 14.4 percent of the vote. The Dutch audience hasn’t appeared decisive here, with a strong following internationally—especially in USA and Japan.

Lando Norris was second with 13.7 percent but was the highest ranked among the female audience and number one in all age groups under 24. Lewis Hamilton was number one in the UK and all the 35 and over age groups and second in the US but ranked third overall.

As a brand, the most used attribute for Formula 1 is “exciting,” up 7 percent from 2017. “Competitive” and “entertaining” made into the top five for the first time, while fans also say F1 has improved in terms of providing “exciting racing”, “fast cars”, “close competition” and having “the best drivers”.

Fans were asked to select their five favorite races, with Monza, Spa, Silverstone, and Monaco retaining their spots in the top four, with Japan slotting into fifth. Baku was a big mover, up from 1 percent of the fans’ vote in 2017 to 13 percent.

There was also a net positive reaction to F1 Sprint, and there was strong awareness regarding sustainable fuels. 55 percent of fans believe F1 should be a world leader in the development of 100 percent sustainable fuels, with 65 percent aware of F1’s plan to introduce 100 percent sustainable fuels by 2025.