Hey everyone, Logan from FanAmp here with a very exciting announcement!
Introducing our newest FanAmp Base… Pitlane Twins!!
I was able to meet with Desiree and Virginia, also known as the Pitlane Twins, to hear about their backstories, how they got into Formula One, what it’s like being a content creator in the motorsport world and most importantly… how and where to get the best driver autographs!
We can’t wait to have this base on FanAmp and we look forward to seeing everything the Pitlane Twins bring for 2024!
Virginia: That’s a very common question that we get asked and I always say the same thing since I think it’s a pretty funny story. We started to watch F1 when we were around 14 years old or so but it wasn’t on a voluntary basis to be honest. At the time, we only had one TV in our household and our father basically ruled the channels and decided what to watch on a Sunday afternoon, which obviously was Formula One. We would sit there with him and basically wait for him to fall asleep from the engine sounds so that we could then switch the channel to horseback riding. That was our usual tactic. It was quite successful from time to time but of course we had to kill the minutes watching F1 with him until he then fell asleep.
It took us about another 10 years or so to really fall in love with the sport and to travel to a race. The first one we went to was Barcelona in 2018 and since then, the sport hooked us and a few years later we started the account!
Virginia: So first off, we are very interested in environmental topics and how to live sustainably and we’ve always had an idea of what Formula E is, but we didn’t really follow it to be honest. I think it wasn’t even shown on German television but I can’t really remember.
In 2022, we were trying to think of other things we could cover with our content besides F1. Like we mentioned, we are very into sustainability topics and thought we should try to get into Formula E. Someone from Formula E actually reached out to us to collaborate during the 2023 season which was a dream come true. We had always thought we could actually do something with Formula E but we didn’t know how to approach it and then they made the first step which made it a very easy ‘yes’ for us.
Last year, we watched the races and traveled to races as well so it became very easy to get into. I think we watched the first two races of the season now and already know all the drivers etc. I really love the differences in comparison to F1 too. They don’t try to copy F1, and Formula E comes up with a completely different concept, also in terms of fan engagement. You’re so close to the drivers and you can celebrate with them on the podium.
Desiree: I think we first noticed that in mid-2021, when we were in Spielberg, we realized that no team or TV station or any magazine was showing what it’s like for fans being on a race track or meeting drivers. There was no TV coverage that felt like it was sharing the whole experience. I think what was also missing on social media at the time was how fans really feel when something happens to a driver during a race or what it’s like during the summer break, etc. There were meme pages and also a little bit of video content, but that didn’t reflect where we wanted to place ourselves or how we felt.
It was all from professionals who don’t live in this fan world anymore who see it all from a professional perspective. They are not that close to the fans anymore and that’s where we wanted to place ourselves. We want to know what fans really want to see and how they feel and that is why we came up with the concept, Fans4Fans. We wanted to deliver fan-based content or fan-related content from fans to fans. That’s why I also always ask ourselves the questions like ‘what does a fan get out of our content?’ And I think that was the right time because when we started, the influencer industry and content creator industry in Formula One wasn’t really there. Now it has really grown and I think that we put a milestone at the beginning of that. We just thought that it works in so many industries in fashion and fitness so why shouldn’t it work for Formula One?
We know that only 1% of the fans ever attend a race live but so many dream of it. That’s why we’re also running those giveaways and competitions. We want to fulfill the dreams of others which makes us happy at the same time and also sets us apart a little bit. We know that so many of our fans would love a piece of signed merchandise from a driver, and because we had the chance to go to the race, we like to give back to our audience to ‘thank them’ for supporting us. If we meet a driver and get a signed cap, the moment is much more valuable to us than the item.
Virginia: That is a very difficult question because there are many once in a lifetime moments but if I have to pick one, I think it would be when we met Lewis in 2022. We have this picture of us from 2019 in Spielberg that the Mercedes team took of us and uploaded onto Instagram. We printed that picture out and literally took it to every single race because we always hoped to meet Lewis and tell him the story of this picture and get him to sign it.
In 2022, we were in Austin and this moment finally happened. We literally had a private audience with him and that moment of being alone with him and getting the chance to speak to him was so special. It was probably only about two minutes or so but it feels like an eternity when you’re in the moment. We got to tell him the story of the picture and he signed it for us and he was just so appreciative of everything we were saying. When he got into his car, I had to turn around because I immediately started bawling. Desiree had to turn me back around to see Lewis waving us off to say goodbye. At first, getting the picture in Spielberg would have been a favorite moment, but this is by far the new favorite.
Desiree: I think content creator wise, it was our trip to Miami with CMC Motorsports and the Formula E collaboration. It was a dream come true because our work was seen and appreciated by one of the biggest motorsport series in the world and it was the first experience we had where everything was already organized for us. There is a lot of self doubt that comes with content creation and doubting ideas or projects are all part of the process.
Desiree: I would say overall it has been positive but there have been comments or instances where we’ve noticed some negativity. We believe that this may be due to the fact that our content does not necessarily emphasize our expertise. For example, we don’t post any strong opinions or analyses because we mainly create funny content. We find that we normally see negative comments when something goes viral, which then becomes the price to pay when being a creator and we are able to deal with that.
At the same time, more and more women have found their way into F1 or into motorsports and they are all very pleased that they have found our accounts. A lot of F1 accounts are run by men, so our audience feels represented when they find our accounts.
Virginia: It has been a learning process for sure in how to deal with any negative comments that we receive. I remember one reel from Miami went viral in 2022 and so many people had commented saying how ‘it was daddy’s money’ or that just insinuating that we didn’t get to that point ourselves. It made me very angry in the beginning because people are so quick to judge without knowing anything about you and how you got there. At the end of the day, we want to reach our followers, our community, and give them our content, and that is just the perspective we try to have.
Desiree: In general, we were looking for a way to connect with our audience in a different way because I think it was mid 2023 when we started the Instagram broadcast channel and our followers really liked it. It was only in German, but people would help translate things for us. Our audience wanted to interact with us and wanted to get more content from us from a different perspective. The broadcast channel worked well but they could only react to our messages with an emoticon, there was no way for them to actually reach out and send their own messages within the channel.
We thought it would be great for our community to be able to chat amongst themselves and connect fans to fans. Our audience is pretty international with about 12% from the US, 10% from the UK and Germany, and then also 8% from Mexico. A lot of fans are alone with their passion and have yet to meet other F1 fans who share the same love for the sport.
Then we found FanAmp and we think it’s the perfect platform to connect with each other. We did a poll on Instagram to see what our audience wanted more from us and a lot of them said F1 news and opinions, which surprised us since that is not usually a form of content we create. What our audience can expect is more space for opinions and point of views being shared. We are very glad that FanAmp gives us this opportunity to connect in that way with our fans and for our fans to also have a chance to connect with each other.
Virginia: I think for me, it’s either Mexico or Melbourne. Melbourne was never on my mind as a top choice until recently when someone told me that it’s such a great experience to be there in the park. The atmosphere is incredible and it’s at the beginning of the season so it’s always very exciting. Australia is also halfway across the world so it would be an exciting journey in itself. For Mexico, I think it just seems like a place that has some of the most passionate fans.
Desiree: I would actually vote for a race that is not on the calendar yet, which is Hockenheim. We would love to see a German race again and just have a circuit that feels like home.
Virginia: We would definitely say Austria. They have this green carpet event that is only on Sundays I believe. They build this big green carpet and put barriers up on both sides and then fans can sometimes meet the drivers behind the fences. Of course not all the drivers come, but some do and it can be so exciting!
Desiree: We are hopefully attending 7 races this season: Bahrain, Miami, Imola, Silverstone, Spa, Hungary and Austria. All of those are only in the first half of the season, so we’re hopeful that we can attend more in the second half!
You can find us on Instagram: @pitlane_twins, and the same applies to TikTok. Then of course, our FanAmp base as well!
Again, welcome to FanAmp Virginia and Desiree! We are so pleased to have you be a part of FanAmp and we are so excited for everything to come!
