A Grand Prix through the lens of the Creator Collective

What happens when you give five talented TikTok content creators unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix? We followed them throughout the race weekend to find out.

When the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix kicked off the European season for the 2025 Formula One World Championship, we arrived in Imola's iconic paddock with our five-strong Creator Collective in tow, ready to tell the story of a race weekend through their eyes.

In the digital age, content creators are some of the key voices across various industries, and, in Formula One, things are no different.

There's a wealth of content online, as fans consume the sport in increasingly varied, nuanced, and exciting ways, and we've been proud to pioneer this shift in Formula One.

In recent years, we've been at the forefront of bringing creators into the sport, helping redefine how the paddock connects with a digital-first audience via fresh voices and new perspectives. That's why we formed the Creator Collective together with our partner TikTok.

In Imola, our Creator Collective members, Rhe, Alicia, Catherine, Chelsea, and Ella joined us to give a unique, creator-led lens on life at a Grand Prix weekend, from interviewing members of our team that you don't always see, to lifting the lid on some fascinating facts you may not know.

Going behind-the-scenes with access all areas, this is how the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix played out through their eyes.

Welcome to the paddock

"This is crazy!"

For each of our Creator Collective, this was their first visit to the Formula One paddock. It's safe to say they were suitably stunned.

"This is really surreal. You see the paddock on TV but to actually be here is hard to fathom," said Catherine.

"It's like an out of body experience. I feel like I'm going to get home and be like, 'Wait, did that actually happen to me?!'" added Ella.

However, once they'd gathered their bearings and taken in their surroundings, it was time to focus on what they do best.

Inside the paddock, Ella, as avid a reader as she is Formula One fan, brought her two passions together, pitching up in some unusual places to catch up on her latest page turner:

Chelsea and Catherine then joined Ella to get their hands on some Pirelli tyres, though via some amusing cross-generation mixed messaging:

Short and relatively simple ideas can sometimes make for the best content on TikTok, as Ella and Catherine explain:

"Sometimes the videos that take just a few seconds to film and publish will perform better and get more engagement than ones where you put more effort in. If it's short and sweet and a relatable piece of content, you're onto a winner," says Ella.

"Short-form content is so good at showing things in the moment. It can give a real-time feel to your videos and instantly give people a window into what's going on in your world. It's certainly better for funny clips because it draws people in quickly," adds Catherine, who has a penchant for bringing comedy through in her videos.

Learn something new

TikTok is the go-to place to learn new skills and facts and, in Formula One, there's a mind-blowing pool of information and insight just waiting to be uncovered, which is exactly what the Creator Collective did.

For Chelsea, a data scientist who builds machine- and deep-learning models and champions STEM subjects, the paddock was something of a Nirvana.

"I really enjoyed talking to the team from Pirelli," she said.

"I asked about the difference between tyre wear and degradation, and then they went into the specifics of thermal and mechanical degradation. I'm such a nerd; I absolutely loved that.

"I have a keen interest in STEM and that inspires a lot of the content I create, so I take any opportunity to indulge in that. There are some incredible numbers in Formula One so, naturally, I had to make a video about it."

In a similar vein, Rhe's imagination was captured by our team's efficiency in the garage and on the track: "The reaction time from the team to different scenarios on the racetrack is incredible, and something you never see when you're watching at home.

"We were in the garage for Free Practice Two and there was a red flag so the cars returned to their garages. It was near the end of the session and when the green flag flew it was incredible to see how quickly the team moved to get the cars back on track.

"Listening to the conversations between Lance, Fernando, and their race engineers on the radio was fascinating as well. You don't realise how much information is being passed back and forth and how much they're talking about what's happening either with the car or on track."

Rhe's experience served as inspiration for her roundup video which revealed some of the great facts she had learned over the weekend, as well as highlighting a driver's-eye-view from the cockpit of the Safety Car.

Meanwhile, Alicia showed us what goes into photographing victory. Literally going behind the lens, she showcased the taking of photos for Jak Crawford's Sprint Race victory in F2.

As someone interested in filming and photography, she wanted to shed some light on the production of photos that get taken trackside: "I love film and editing and I try to bring that passion to the content I create. It was cool seeing the great kit that the Aston Martin Aramco content team uses and replicating how they capture various moments."

Access all areas

Not confined to the paddock, our TikTok Creator Collective also spent time elsewhere over the weekend.

From being in the pitlane as our race team embarked on pitstop practice and as Jak celebrated F2 victory...

...to heading into the Imola fan zone to hand out Aston Martin Aramco merch:

Fuelling up

The world-class talent at a Grand Prix isn't limited to drivers and engineers. Away from the racing action, guests of the team are treated to sumptuous food and drink in our hospitality. Rhe, creator of Pitstop Plates on her channel, was in her element as she caught up with our Head Chef, Mark, to get the lowdown on how the location we're racing in influences our menus and how we're always on the search for the finest local ingredients.

"I've always been inspired by different cultures and I try to appreciate different parts of the world through the local food," she explains.

"Speaking to Mark was the perfect opportunity to do this with a Formula One spin to it, especially when he revealed the use of local ingredients from wherever the team is racing."

It starts on TikTok

A whirlwind weekend for the five and, before they left the paddock, we asked them one final thing: why do you use TikTok for your content?

For Alicia, it was the range of content on the platform: "TikTok is so popular because there's just so many different types of content you can post on there.” Whilst for Rhe and Chelsea, it was the community and genuineness:

"Other platforms feel like a facade whereas Tiktok feels more reflective of real life. I think it's easier to relate to other people on TikTok – it has a really good community which is very supportive,” explained Rhe.

"I find other platforms often create a feeling of wanting to be a certain way based off what you've seen from someone else, whereas TikTok just invites you to act how you feel," added Chelsea.

And, for Catherine and Ella, it was the speed at which you could share your content:

"The fact that you can record, edit, and post in the app in real time, so people can follow along in the moment, is brilliant. Your content doesn't need to be polished and people don't mind if it isn't," said Catherine.

"TikTok is just so quick and easy to use. We've had a jam-packed schedule this weekend but we still had time to film, edit and upload videos. TikTok is just so easily accessible," said Ella.

And that was a wrap.

For more content from the TikTok Creator Collective head to their channels and follow Aston Martin Aramco on the platform for more behind-the-scenes content as the 2025 Formula One season continues.