Fans Have More Friends – How F1 and Heineken Are Combining to Help ‘Live the Dream’

Fans lucky enough to be at Silverstone would have been able to enjoy Kimi Antonelli's thrilling battle for the sprint win and Charles Leclerc ending his barren spell in Formula 1 with victory in the British Grand Prix.

With the help of F1 and global beverage giant Heineken, one lucky fan - and a plus one - could experience that thrill at every race in 2027 after the launch of the second season pass ahead of the weekend.

The first to be crowned the ultimate super fan was Brandon Burgess, who has been traveling the world with the championship all year long.

F1 x Heineken season ticket — F1 x Heineken

At the British Grand Prix, Burgess spent time in the Heineken-powered fan zone at Silverstone, connecting with fans and delivering activations to help mark the launch of the next iteration of the competition. Grand Prix on SI was able to sit down and chat with him to delve deeper into his experiences.

"I don't know how old I was," said Burgess, reminiscing on his early memories of following F1. "I would have been about three or four, seeing Michael Schumacher leading the way. But my dad got me into it; he has been a massive F1 fan, and with Schumacher and Ferrari, I have loved the sport ever since.

"My first proper memory was probably at Silverstone in 2003 - I would have been seven at that point - hearing the V10 screaming around Silverstone, that will stay with me."

That love of the sport carried through to the 2025 season, when, on a tight budget and having to work and travel around a full-time job, Burgess attended all 24 races on the schedule.

"I think I started planning it in September 2024 and I was booking stuff every week until the end of the year, so a good four months of finding good deals and trying to make it work on a budget of £20,000," he explained.

"That was probably the hardest thing, and getting annual leave on a full-time job as well. It was originally 28 days. I managed to do it on 31 with a few days unpaid just to enjoy the year a bit more. If I didn't plan it all beforehand, it would have just been horrible, impossible, so it was all down to the planning and the rest of it. I didn't have to think about it. I just tried to think about enjoying the experience."

Burgess' travels gained traction on social media, and acknowledging the passion and commitment, F1 x Heineken's first super-fan season ticket was awarded to him for the current campaign.

"It was quite funny because I remember getting the first email about it back in September, actually, and it was just like 'oh, we have a potential deal for you'. "I thought it was a normal brand deal, but then I got on the call and I was told about the concept and I was just trying to keep my cool whilst on the phone call. Inside, I was internally screaming.

"It is pretty amazing. As soon as I got off the call, I was in a bit of shock for a few weeks after that and then it all became real this year. I'm really lucky to have the first ever one."

Burgess is one of a star-studded panel - including four-time world champion Max Verstappen and F1TV presenter Laura Winter - helping shortlist potential recipients of the 2027 season ticket, which will cover travel and accommodation to each event on the calendar as well as grandstand tickets at each venue.

"People can enter globally," Burgess explained. "So anyone over 25 years old can enter on F1 unlocked. I'm very lucky to be a part of the panel to whittle down the shortlist, and once we have that, the final vote will be back to the fans to decide who gets it.

"Whoever wins it for next year is going to have the best year ever - I'm only a third of the way through this one and I'm already having the best year ever. I know the experience that they have next year will be just as amazing."

For Heineken, which is amplifying its long-standing partnership with F1, one that includes naming rights to a number of race events across the calendar, the initiative highlights the relationships and camaraderie of fans from different backgrounds and cultures who come together to celebrate the world championship at each race weekend.

"That's one of the best bits - meeting the different fans from the different countries and experiencing the different cultures.

"I would say the cultures really come through at the different F1 events, especially when you have different places such as Japan compared to the American races. It really feeds through in the events and with F1 being so popular, all the events are so good nowadays.

"All the fans are so friendly as well. It's not tribal like other sports. Everyone gets along and everyone has that shared passion. It's brilliant."

2027 will likely be a shock to the system for Burgess, who has been to every F1 race since the start of 2025, but that won't dampen the rest of the season for him.

"I have no idea [what plans for the future are] at the moment," he conceded. "I'm just going to enjoy this year while I can, not put too much pressure on myself to try and think of stuff for next year and just see what happens.

"This time last year I would never have expected to be sitting here doing this again this year. Who knows what will happen later in the year. If at the end of the year that's my F1 traveling experience done, or the extreme ones anyway, then so be it - I've had the best two years of my life living the dream."

Fans can enter the race for the 2027 F1 x Heineken season ticket at F1 Unlocked.

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