Statistics gathered by sports marketing analysts Repucom have revealed that Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is the most marketable F1 driver on the planet.

Ahead of the Rolex Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend, Repucom has released data showing the global awareness and marketing potential of the grand prix drivers.

Public perception of Spain’s double world champion Alonso puts him on top of the list ahead of Briton’s Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton while popular Brazilian Felipe Massa, who will make his debut for Williams at Albert Park, was third.

Alonso’s social media following has reached epic proportions with likes on his Facebook page approaching 660,000 while his Twitter followers number almost 1.95million.

F1’s perennial anti-hero Sebastian Vettel has only ranked fourth in the survey taken from the combined results of 500 representative participants aged between 16 and 69 from 13 countries excluding Australia, and two countries which do not currently host an F1 grand prix.

Returning Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen ranks just behind Vettel in fifth place.

Marketability, according to Celebrity DBI, is an overall score based on eight metrics and although awareness does play a vital role; accounting for 60% of the overall score, how the driver is seen publicly by those that know of them produces the score.

Repucom’s Celebrity DBI revealed that the 32-year-old Alonso, F1 world champion for Renault in 2005 and 2006, is identified by 71.14 per cent of people globally and by an astonishing 98.35 per cent in his home country.

Among Alonso’s portfolio of personal sponsors are Oakley in the US, a country where according to the Repucom results where only 12.76 percent of the population are aware of his celebrity motor racing status.

From the US figures of people who are aware of Alonso, 84.5 percent like the racer and 76.74 percent admit he has some influence over their purchasing decisions.

Hamilton, who has struck a new personal deal with Canadian Bombardier is known by 63.65 percent of those targetted internationally, just under 10 percent points more than Vettel.

“It may be a surprise to some that globally, Sebastian Vettel does not score as highly in terms of public opinion as the likes of Alonso, Hamilton and Massa,” Repucom’s Nigel Geach, senior vice-president of Motorsport said.

“Alonso’s dominance in the rankings is down to a large part of his international deals and association with the Ferrari brand.

“Despite Red Bull’s recent successes, globally, 59% of F1 fans have an interest in the Ferrari team, representing the highest levels of interest in any F1 team.

“And with races screened across 160 global markets to a cumulative global TV audience of 1.8 billion, one can see the importance this can have on perception.”

*Speedcafe.com is on the ground at Albert Park with the team committed to keeping readers informed with the latest on the much-anticipated F1 season-opening race as well as up-to-the-minute news on V8 Supercars and the Carrera Cup races.

See below for survey details

Global rankings by DBI score

*Source: Repucom’s Celebrity DBI

*Base: Global scores illustrate combined Celebrity DBI results of 500 representative views of people aged between 16-69 from the US, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, China and India

Domestic rankings by DBI score

*Source: Repucom’s Celebrity DBI

*Base: Domestic scores illustrate Celebrity DBI results of 500 representatives views of people aged between 16-69 from the drivers home country

*Note: scores exclude Kimi Raikkonen as Finland is not covered as a tested country

List your business today!

Simplex Elevators

General Business Services

Founded in 1976, Simplex Elevators is one of Australia’s most trusted independent elevator companies, providing premium lift solutions backed by decades of technical expertise and industry leadership. 100% Australian-owned and operated, we pride ourselves on...

Founded in 1976, Simplex Elevators is one of Australia’s most trusted independent elevator companies, providing premium lift solutions backed by decades of technical expertise and...