5 Video Storytelling Tips for Motorsport
Welcome to the first edition of our Motorsports Marketing Breakdowns series, where we dissect marketing from the world of racing to help you understand what makes it tick.
In this edition, we take a closer look at the video Alex Albon: Untapped Potential and how it uses the principles of storytelling to keep fans watching.
Let’s dive in to some video storytelling tips for motorsport ⬇️
How to Keep Someone’s Attention for 6 Minutes and 30 seconds.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been feeling a bit of whiplash from the endless scroll of short, fleeting videos on my socials.
So, it was refreshing to see a motorsport team put out something a little longer with the video Alex Albon: Untapped Potential.
Clocking in at 6 minutes 30 seconds, Alex Albon: Untapped Potential could have felt like the director’s cut of a feature-length film compared to the average length of today’s TikTok or Reel.
But it kept my attention.
Why?
Storytelling.
Let’s analyse how storytelling is put to use in Alex Albon: Untapped Potential, and how you can apply these techniques to make your own motorsport content more engaging (first, watch the video here).
Why is Storytelling Important?
Before we dive in, it’s important to understand why storytelling is important.
The point of storytelling is to build an emotional connection with your audience, making your team, driver or brand more memorable and relatable.
By using storytelling you can create curiosity, attract attention and connect with fans on a deeper level.
⬇️
Start with a Compelling Hook
The opening of your story is the most important part. You have between 10 and 30 seconds to grab people’s attention. The way to do this is by making the introduction different, shocking, relatable or intriguing—known as the hook.
In Alex Albon: Untapped Potential this is the opening line:
“In F1 every year is a constant battle…are you going to be racing next year? It takes a toll on you mentally.”
This opening instantly draws you in and hints at the trajectory of the video. It raises questions and stir curiosity—the very essence of an effective hook.
Takeaway: The first 10-30 seconds of your motorsport videos are crucial. In that brief window, the audience is making a decision—is it worth sticking around? A compelling hook isn’t just about grabbing attention; it's about getting your audience invested.
2. Create an Emotional Connection
Without emotion, stories are just a sequence of events. Emotion connects us, makes us human and is a potent creative tool when used correctly.
One of the ways the video creates a strong emotional connection is through Alex’s authenticity and relatability.
He acknowledges that his “normal life” is not normal at all [00:57] and opens up about his fears and aspirations, particularly his determination not to lose his hard-earned racing seat again (as he did with Red Bull at the end of the 2020 season).
Not only does this emotion help us find meaning in his story, it builds empathy and leaves a lasting impact on how we see Alex—from an untouchable racing driver to a three-dimensional human with doubts and struggles like our own.
Takeaway: As storytellers, our goal is to foster empathy with our audience, leveraging emotions to create memorable experiences. The most captivating stories are woven around emotions that both you and your audience deeply care about. The more real your character is, the more your audience will relate to them—so show their fears, aspirations and thoughts.
3. Stories Over Statistics
Facts and figures like lap times and race wins have their place but are easily forgotten.
Using human senses like sight, smell, taste, touch, sound in your content creates powerful images in the mind of your audience.
Take Alex’s nostalgic anecdote about being at Silverstone as a child, having his little mind blown by the “deafening roar of F1 engines” and thinking, "That looks ridiculous." 🤯 [0:51]
It's moments like these that captivate your audience. They're not just hearing facts; they're stepping into Alex’s shoes and imagining the impact that “deafening roar” would have on a child’s sense of awe and excitement.
Takeaway: Don’t just relay information in your motorsport videos; weave anecdotes into your narrative to draw your audience into the story, making them feel like they're right there and part of the action. Draw on the power of human senses to create powerful images.
4. Use Supporting Characters to Add Depth
Incorporating supporting characters adds depth to your narrative. It shows different sides of the protagonist and underscores the fact that in life, as in motorsports, no one succeeds alone.
In the video we hear from Alex’s performance Coach, Patrick Harding, we see clips with other members of his team and with his girlfriend. Characters add more detail to your story. The more detail, the more credibility your story has.
Bonus points for the nice bit of banter from Alex’s performance Coach who refers to himself as Albon’s Aupair [02:20]. This extra bit of humour from someone close to our protagonist also adds more relatability to the story.
Takeaway: Supporting characters can provide a fuller picture of the protagonist and add layers to your story, making it more engaging and credible.
5. The Narrative Sets the Tone
The narrative's tone is pivotal in shaping how the audience feels. It's about striking the right chord to ensure your message resonates.
Negative stories creative fear, positive stories create inspiration. Both are extremely powerful.
At the end of Alex Albon: Untapped potential, the viewer feels good. It’s hopeful and ambitious. It ends on a high note and gives the audience an emotional high too.
It presents Alex as a protagonist far from the end of his journey, leaving us in anticipation, wondering what’s next, opening the door to make us want to return to more content from Alex and Williams Racing.
Takeaway: A well-crafted tone conveys the mood of your story and influences how viewers remember the content. In the Williams Racing video, a hopeful and forward-looking tone turns a simple story into an inspiring journey, leaving the audience eager for more.
Conclusion
Alex Albon: Untapped Potential gets us even more invested in the Alex Albon and Williams Racing journey. The success of a longer-form video hinges on finding the right narrative and using storytelling to keep viewers engaged—something the Alex Albon: Untapped Potential video does excellently.
While short-form TikToks and Reels are excellent for reaching a broad audience quickly, longer motorsport videos offer space for comprehensive narratives. Apply these 5 video storytelling tips for motorsport to catch and hold the attention of your audience.
Longer videos can help you deepen fan engagement, get viewers invested and add another dimension to your motorsport team and its drivers.
Need help creating engaging videos or telling stories in your motorsport marketing? Get in touch.