SMG’s Digital & Brand Lead, Hannah Symonds, and Social Media Manager, Maddie Bonser, head the team in charge of ideating and posting content across the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber social media accounts.

How did SMG start working with Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber?

Maddie: SMG was the agency that brokered the deal between Stake and Sauber. Our agency also did some of the initial paddock activation work in 2023, so we already had a good relationship with both Stake and Sauber, which then naturally progressed into conversations about supporting them with their social media platforms.

What is your scope of work on the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber account?

Hannah: We look after the strategic direction for growing page and brand engagement and are responsible for the team’s content calendar. As part of this, we collaborate with a partner agency, called Alpineracer Productions, who film our on-location content and then we edit, post, and caption all shared content. 

Can you explain the different respective roles of those on the digital team?

Hannah: We have different sections within the team; one focuses on the content and production, made up of video editors and a 3D motion designer. Then, there are social media managers who look after the account, as well as the reporting and community management. We also have someone who focuses on the strategic direction, making sure we stay focused on achieving Sauber’s overarching goals. My job is to oversee it all, ensuring the brand is always presented correctly, both visually and contextually.

Maddie: Even though we all have our respective roles with the team, there is a huge amount of collaboration where everyone has input. It’s really helpful because we’re all working towards a mutual goal of creating amazing content, and you get different perspectives from different demographics, and ages from across the team.

Your first month included the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber team’s launch at London’s Guild Hall. Tell us about how you tackled this project so soon into the job?

Maddie: Ahead of the car launch, we prepared a content plan and a strategy for the direction we wanted to go in. But it was also about being experimental too. It was a brand-new identity; no one had seen the car before, so we were conscious of what the fans would think. It was also a big opportunity for us as a team, not having worked on a Formula 1 team account before. 

Hannah: It was our first opportunity to showcase the new personality of the brand, and it got a very good reaction. It was also our first time asking the drivers to film content they hadn’t done before. So, we started to build that relationship with them as well as the brand character we’ve carried on throughout the season.

What does your day-to-day look like running the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber social platforms?

Maddie: Every day is different, but the Formula 1 season dictates what you share on the account, so I plan what content goes out and on what channels. Ahead of a race weekend, I organise the shooting schedule and the brief we give to our on-site videographer, so they can capture everything we need. Once the content is filmed and edited, I determine when and where it should be posted according to our strategy, caption each post, and share them. There’s also general account management, where I speak with the client and respond to their requests. 

Over the race weekend, I respond to what’s happening on-track, which includes live tweeting throughout practice and race sessions. If there are other content opportunities that come up off-track, such as VIP guests in the garage, then I think of ways to share that, and determine where that fits into the original content plan. 

Hannah: My day-to-day is overseeing the whole team and making sure everyone is getting tasks done in the right timeframe. There’s a lot of time management and priority shifting, keeping track of the strategic direction. In addition, I also do all the graphic designs as well. 

How do you balance the challenges of blending on-track and remote staff during race weekends?

Hannah: Occasionally, we go on location but most of the time, we manage the account remotely while our videographer from our partner agency captures the content on-track. We have weekly shooting schedule meetings to provide him with as much detail as possible, explaining the specific shots we need and the way it should be filmed for editing purposes. We stay in constant communication with him over the weekend, trying to get reactive moments that will perform well on the channels. Being off-track requires more skill on our part, but it shows we can adapt to different work environments and have established an effective system that allows us to get the best content possible.

What have been the biggest successes to date working with Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber?

Hannah: The biggest success has been the personality we’ve created for the channel. Our goal was to create something that fans wouldn’t expect from a Formula 1 team but would capture their attention. We made this persona and social personality to match the unpredictable, entertaining and surprising nature of the team’s title sponsor, Stake. 

The fans have noticed the content is quite different to other Formula 1 team accounts, and they’re finding it refreshing. In theme with the title sponsor, Stake, we wanted to become trendsetters in the social media world of Formula 1 – and we’ve had a lot of positive reaction to it. 

Maddie: We had the opportunity to create a brand-new identity and tone of voice and we’ve not played it safe by sticking with the status quo. Our strategy has been quite risky and there’s been a really positive reaction to it.

What have been the main challenges you have faced working on the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber account?

Maddie: My biggest personal challenge was that I’ve never worked on an account as big as this before. Knowing there are so many followers and people from around the world who see your work feels like there’s a lot more pressure to get it right. Also, what was also our biggest success was our biggest challenge too. It felt as if all eyes were on us at the start of the year because it was a new brand and new identity. Being different when everybody is doing the same thing feels unnatural, but you’ve got to be brave to take those risks. 

Hannah: We’ve also got to ensure that we continue to keep improving and innovating. The fans are beginning to expect our quirky content so we need to keep evolving to continually create new, fresh content that will engage the audience and get the reaction we want.

Is it a challenge to keep the fans onside and engaged with Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber not sitting at the top of the grid?

Maddie: Obviously, winning is easy to talk about but when you’re not, it’s about trying to keep fans engaged, and still find ways to convey the team’s core values and messages. We need to show that the team is working hard behind the scenes, and that progress is being made. 

Hannah: It’s a challenging aspect: balancing the fun and the personality of the account, while addressing the fans wanting racing insights, and portraying the stories of the incredible team members in the factory and on-track – who are putting in immense effort – without getting a negative reaction from some fans. 

We’ve got to tell every story, from the highs and the lows. Highlighting those stories when we’re not winning can be more difficult to portray so it’s a tricky balance to achieve.

What do you think fans are looking for from F1 teams on social media?

Hannah: They’re looking for access into the drivers’ personalities and lives. It’s something that doesn’t always get covered on TV and wasn’t as visible in the sport even just a few years ago. But with social media across Formula 1 developing and ‘Drive to Survive’ being released, the demand for direct driver access has skyrocketed. Social media gives the fans that access and shows a person or team’s personality which is a vital way to build and maintain support, especially for those lower down on the grid. 

How important is it for you to have the drivers buy into your creative ideas?

Maddie: It’s extremely important. There’s a lot to be said for our relationship between the content creator on the ground and the drivers because they need to trust us and our ideas. Both Zhou and Valtteri are very enthusiastic about the social media filming sessions, and I think they want to get their personalities across as well. 

Hannah: It’s also because we cater our content to the drivers and their personalities. We don’t want to create fake personas or make them something they’re not. We take into consideration what they feel comfortable doing and have learnt what they like and dislike. It shows when they dislike the concept, and you won’t get the best from them. I think that’s also why they do lean into the filming sessions – because we’re purposely creating content they’re interested in.

Why do you think SMG has been such a good fit for the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber?

Hannah: As a fairly young agency, we’ve been able to look at it with fresh eyes, come from a new direction and make some decisions that allowed us to move away from the norm.

Maddie: Most of our team are F1 fans or enjoy motorsport in general, so we understand what fans want to see. I think that comes through in our content because we can relate to them. As a team, we’re all very passionate and have a mutual goal: to produce the best content. 

We were also very excited to work on a team account, so we want to do a great job and give our clients the best service possible. I think it’s been a great opportunity to show what our team can do. 

What are your hopes for the future of the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber social media accounts in 2025 and beyond?

Hannah: We want to continue to build the fan base and give them a great, entertaining experience of supporting Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. Inevitably, the team will transition into Audi and with that transition, the channel and its personality will change to match the new brand. We want to create a strong follower base that will continue to follow along as the team moves into a new era. But we want Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber to have a lasting impact that people remember.

Maddie: We don’t want to just be in F1 but influence F1 and compete with some of the more established teams on the grid in terms of social media. We want to be the ones creating the trends and leading social media platforms within the sport. Our goal is to convert casual Formula 1 fans into Stake F1 team KICK Sauber fans and be the team for those people who haven’t got anyone to support yet. 

What is your advice for someone who wants to work in motorsport or a sports marketing social media team?

Maddie: If you want to work in the sports marketing space, you’ve got to be really passionate about it because it’s super competitive and is not the usual 9 to 5 job. You have to work weekends and make sacrifices. There’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes, so you need to love what you’re doing.

Hannah: From a content creation perspective, developing a portfolio is the most important thing. It doesn’t have to be paid work. It can just be passion projects that you’re making up with videos, graphics, things like that. There’s such a specific tone to sports design and sports editing so developing your skills and communicating the excitement and passion of sport is really important. If you can come to a company and demonstrate that you understand how to communicate sport visually, it will reflect positively on you. 

Also follow motorsport jobs on Instagram and just be aware of where the opportunities are, whether that’s in an agency or a team.