Anika Begay
Creators whose online identities revolve around Formula 1 racing have been changing their handles lately, and they seem reluctant to say why. But it could be that F1 itself has asked them to, and it has reportedly issued cease and desist orders to certain creators with monetized accounts that use its brand.
Among the abrupt branding changes was Paddock Project (formerly F1r the Girls), a podcast for F1 fans. Paddock did not mention that he had received a cease-and-desist letter when he announced the change, instead writing that the new name “reflects where we are and where we are headed.”
F1 influencer Mikaela Kostaras, who also recently changed her name (from “shelovesf1” to “shelovesvrooms”) appeared to hint at receiving a cease and desist order in a video in which she asked viewers to “imagine” being told they couldn’t gift purchased tickets, which she recently did. Responding to a comment on the video, she said: “There’s a reason everyone is rebranding right now and it’s not just for fun.”
F1 commentator Toni Cowan-Brown said in a video that she had been “hearing rumours” about cease-and-desist letters “for at least the last six months”. She added that Formula 1 was targeting those “who use F1 in their branding and profit from it”, as well as creators who pretend to be associated with the organisation in some way.
Formula 1 did not immediately respond The limitrequest for comment.
Cowan-Brown compared the NBA’s approach to not really picking on people who post NBA content online, even when that content includes actual game footage. League commissioner Adam Silver once said that “for the most part, highlights are marketing.”
However, Formula 1 has been particularly aggressive in protecting its brand in the past, including sending a “stack of legal letters” to driver Lewis Hamilton demanding he stop posting F1 clips on social media. Liberty Media later acquired F1 and relaxed guidelines that prohibited drivers and teams from posting paddock clips.
