"Now THIS is influencing" – F1 team give TikToker’s dad VIP treatment

Posted on 10th July 2025

The BWT Alpine Formula 1 racing team won a lot of new fans this week after giving a TikToker’s F1-loving dad a surprise VIP paddock experience at the British Grand Prix.

They were responding to a video posted by a TikToker called Lucy showing her telling her dad he wouldn’t be free to watch the Grand Prix on TV on Sunday – then surprising him by saying she had bought tickets to take him to see it live at Silverstone.

Lucy’s TikTok got more than three million views and 350,000 likes, with lots of comments from people saying how emotional it made them and asking her to post a follow-up.

The next day the Alpine team left a comment on her TikTok saying: “Hey Lucy, love the video 🥰 We’ve sent you a message 😌”

And this week they posted a TikTok revealing just how special they had made Lucy and her dad’s Silverstone day. It got a fantastic reaction and was seen by more than six million people, many of whom had seen Lucy’s original video and said things like: “Yay to the algorithm for bringing me back. This brings me joy seeing him so happy.”

Lots of people praised the Alpine team for doing what others should – invite real F1 fans into the VIP paddock instead of social media influencers with no interest in the sport.

• "THIS!!! This is the type of experience and person I want to see in the paddock!! A real fan who cares and gets amazed!!! Not some random influencer who’s there for the pictures"

• "These are the true VIPS. Not the influencers who arent even interested. Its the people who have been watching for years. You could see his whole soul light up🩷"

• "Please keep searching and sending invites to real f1 fans like this alpine you guys are awesome"

• "This has been my fave VIP influencer i’ve seen at the Grand Prix 🥹🥹🤍✨✨✨"

The reaction was the same on Lucy’s follow-up TikTok saying “Thank you Alpine and the F1 community for making it an unforgettable experience 💙🩷🥰”

• "Now THIS is influencing 😍 we need more of this"

• "Well we just love @BWT Alpine Formula One Team from now and forward for this! 😍"

• "Now this is influencing done right ❤️🥰 I’m far more interested in this video than a random blogger who has barely seen a race.

Influencers versus F1 fans and content creators

Lots of dedicated Formula 1 fans – including the growing army of self-styled “F1 girlies” who have developed a real passion for the sport – have been posting about being fed up seeing more and more influencers with no interest in F1 getting VIP treatment from brands inviting them to big events like the British Grand Prix.

Comments are often split between people agreeing and others saying it’s all about reaching new audiences – and that’s what influencers with millions of followers are doing for Formula 1.

F1 female fans contrasted this with loving what Hilton did by inviting popular F1 content creator Noa Elizabeth Green to Silverstone for VIP access to the Grand Prix. This TikTok – where she shows her Hilton room with a view over the racetrack’s Hamilton Straight – was one of a series she posted giving her followers behind-the-scenes insights into the event and the McLaren team.

Some of the comments:

• “I honestly could not think of a Formula One content creator that deserves the experience more than you do.”

• "Hilton yall know your stuff it’s noa 😌🤭"

• "Ahhhh Noa!! Congrats girl 🔥 no one deserves it more ♥️"

A few days after the Grand Prix at Silverstone one of the influencers who’d been invited, Milly Goldsmith, posted a TikTok (below) sympathising with people with a low opinion of influencers at the event.

She says: “After scrolling on Instagram all day I've literally just seen influencers and their VIP wristbands at the Silverstone Grand Prix, mine included – and while it was just honestly so incredible I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel guilty.

“I think part of that guilt comes from the fact that I saw some people turn up and spend the whole time taking pictures. Look, this is our job. There's content to be made ... but I think there's a big difference between being so in love with the experience that the content just flows from it, and showing up purely because you need something to post.”

Milly’s 400,000 followers like her for her honest, genuine, relatable approach – and that comes across in the comments, including from Formula 1 fans and content creators. One said: “im so glad you are aware of the privilege and so glad you enjoyed and appreciated every moment! you are the type of person i wish more brands would take 🫶🏻"

One referred to Alpine getting it right by inviting Lucy’s dad: “It would be nice to see more from ‘normal’ people like that old man who got invited by Alpine in the paddock and treated like a VIP after being a lifelong F1 fan. That’s the content that as a fan moves me.”

Tuning in to online communities

Shooglebox AI gives you a fast, immersive way to see the world through the eyes of any online community — not just through summaries, but in their actual posts, conversations and shared references.

It’s a practical way to surface emerging trends, understand what matters to different groups, and go beyond assumptions or second-hand reporting — with the context and nuance that only comes from seeing for yourself.

That's how we spotted and quickly understood the different things people were saying about Lucy's dad and their attitudes to influencers.