F1 drivers have immense influence over their fans and the number of followers they have is also massive, which is no surprise. The seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has a staggering 35.4 million followers on Instagram and is one of the highest-followed Formula 1 drivers.
Apart from that, drivers like Charles Leclerc, the reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and others have millions of supporters on the track and social media.
Nevertheless, these drivers receive little to no privacy owing to the downsides of fame. A recent example is the Monegasque driver at Ferrari who pleaded for some privacy from fans as they were turning up at his home in Monaco.
Such concerns prevented drivers from having an open and active social life online. But, funnily, they managed to break the code to that as well. A recent post on Twitter revealed ‘burner accounts’ of Formula 1 drivers.
f1 drivers be subtle about your burner challenge (impossibel) pic.twitter.com/I0af4KnmbN
— lils🫧 | certified fia hater (@D4NNYR1CS) November 19, 2023
A Twitter user who goes by the username ( @D4NNYR1CS ) shared the second or private Instagram accounts of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. In the comments, another user (@wazowsky_jr ) shared McLaren driver Lando Norris’ private account.
In case there was a doubt that these were mere fan accounts, which caused similar confusion for a fan involving Lewis Hamilton, the burners are being followed by the drivers’ public accounts which is proof of legitimacy.
F1 drivers’ secret identities: Does Lewis Hamilton have a burner account?
Fans of Lewis Hamilton went crazy when they found out he had a secret Instagram account. Social media experts were interested in Hamilton’s unusual choices. Despite having over 35 million followers on his personal Instagram account, he only follows three accounts: his dog Roscoe, Mission 44, and Plus 44 World. Followers were thrilled to see the British driver add a mysterious private account to his list of accounts to follow.
Lewis Hamilton has exposed his OWN burner account on Instagram.
He’s put his initials in the bio, called it a “burning” instead of burner AND followed the account on his main 😭 pic.twitter.com/SE390jYDAo
— MSportBanter 🏁 (@MSportBanter) October 11, 2023
This specific Instagram profile has a strange Instagram ID but no username. The bio which said, “LH burning account,” presented an additional degree of suspense. With only one post and an understated profile, the account grabbed followers’ interest and theories. Interestingly, he is not the only one from the Silver Arrows team to have a burner or a private account. It includes his fellow Briton, George Russell as well.
Fans’ investigative work discovered that Carmen Mundt, Russell’s girlfriend, was a follower of the account, prompting some to believe that it may be Russell’s secret social media account. However, it’s not unusual for famous people to have private burner accounts, especially celebrities and athletes. It offers a space where these F1 drivers may use social media without feeling watched over by followers and the press all the time.