With no Finnish drivers in 2025, broadcasters leverage the sport’s global appeal and innovations to maintain strong fan engagement.
When a country loses its sole representative as a driver on the starting grid, interest in F1 within that country often declines.
However, even without Finnish drivers on the grid, Finnish Formula 1 fans will still enjoy specialized television coverage of the sport.
With Valtteri Bottas not retained by Sauber/Audi, 2025 will mark the first full season without Finnish representation since 1977—nearly 50 years.
This is a remarkable achievement for a country with such a small population, with legendary Finns like Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen, and Kimi Raikkonen leaving their mark on the sport.
So, with no Finnish drivers on the grid next year, should the country’s F1 fans worry that Viaplay’s Finnish coverage might also disappear?
The answer is no, according to Viaplay Finland’s Head of Sports, Jussi Ranta.
“F1 is experiencing an international renaissance, and the upcoming season will be exceptional in its starting points.”
“Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari alone is one of the biggest stories in the sport’s history, raising the appeal of the coming season to an entirely new level.”
He also stated that the arrival of new young talent, the conclusion of the current regulatory cycle, and popular recent innovations like sprint races will help Formula 1 remain a popular sport on Finnish television.
“In other words, the trend seen in the second half of this season is only growing stronger. As regrettable as Bottas’ absence is, it does not negatively affect the sport’s popularity. Remember, Bottas’ performance level at Sauber was already quite modest.”
Nevertheless, he admitted he hopes the initial rumors of Cadillac being interested in Bottas for 2026 prove true.
“We welcome all interesting speculation, but at the same time, we must remember there are many rumors in this sport. Of course, we would very much like to see Bottas return under the Cadillac banner or with another team.”
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Finnish F1 Drought: How Broadcasters Keep Fans Engaged Finnish F1 Drought: How Broadcasters Keep Fans Engaged
