Brooklyn Beckham risks backlash with huge career announcement as he ventures into sport
Brooklyn Beckham risks backlash with huge career announcement as he ventures into sport
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Brooklyn Beckham, who is the eldest son of football legend David Beckham and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, is set to embark on a surprising new career path in Formula E, a single-seater motorsport for electric cars. The 25-year-old, who has previously dabbled in modelling, influencing, photography, and cookery, is joining a new initiative from the sport that aims to pit 11 influencers against each other to boost Formula E's profile.
The hope is that by involving public figures like Brooklyn and ex-Man City striker turned content creator Sergio Aguero, the sport will reach younger audiences and grow in popularity. Brooklyn, who boasts a whopping 16 million followers on Instagram, will be paid for this partnership and will undergo six weeks of training with a professional team and driver before racing at a circuit in Miami on March 5-6.
Brooklyn has opened up about his new venture into Formula E in an interview with BBC Sport, explaining his motivation behind the move. "Like my dad, I've always been obsessed with driving," he shared. "It's about getting more people to experience Formula E and the more people who do [see it], the more they will understand. Formula One has been around for a lot longer, but the world is changing, so I think [Formula E] definitely has a chance to rival it.".
Despite being a long-time fan of the sport, Brooklyn confessed that he hasn't yet informed Peltz of his plans. He also anticipated some backlash to his decision, but sees this as a fantastic opportunity to introduce Formula E to a broader audience. "When this news breaks, people are going to assume that I'm aiming to become an F1 driver," he continued. "They'll think I'm switching careers again. But they'll come to understand and appreciate how mentally demanding this sport is. The drivers in these cars are incredibly skilled. I'm just really excited to meet them and be a part of this.".
Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, expressed his enthusiasm for the plans, emphasising that using influencers to 'elevate' the sport's profile was a logical step. He also dismissed suggestions that such a collaboration would undermine the skills and effort needed to succeed in Formula E, asserting that 'it's not a gimmick'. Despite the sport still struggling to gain traction in the UK and recording a loss of £36m last year, Dodds remains optimistic that it can surpass MotoGP as the second most popular motorsport by 2030.
