Padel continues rapid growth with Silverstone success after Netflix appearance

16 July 2023 , 07:00

1145     0

Former F1 driver Jenson Button poses with British padel stars

Away from the bright lights of Wimbledon, there's another racket sport hoping to hit the big time - and Formula One stars are already on board.

While all eyes may be on Centre Court on Sunday, when Novak Djokovic takes on Carlos Alcaraz in a mouth-watering men's final, padel is making an impression among sports fans and global superstars.

That was evident at the British Grand Prix last weekend, where a record-breaking 480,000 fans flooded through the gates across the weekend to cheer on their heroes.

Lando Norris and Co would have been focused on success at Silverstone, but F1 drivers are already very familiar with the rapidly-growing sport - and have incorporated it into their training programmes.

The sport – one of the fastest growing in Europe and loved by a host of F1 drivers – is an innovative form of tennis that’s fun, easy to learn and extremely sociable.

Just Stop Oil protesters guilty over "serious" risk to F1 drivers at British GP

Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, as well as Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, have been known to play against each other in their spare time away from the racetrack – as featured in the popular Netflix series 'Drive to Survive'.

F1 fans got a taste of the sport at Silverstone last weekend, with a pop-up court giving them an opportunity to see what all the hype is about. The biggest names in British padel – including British No.1 Tia Norton, Louie Harris, Catherine Rose, Aimee Gibson and Francis Langan - were in the thick of the action.

British No.1 Tia Norton has opened up on the success of Silverstone

As well as their padel warm-ups every morning at the Drivers Inn, the British stars also took to the track to put fans skills to the test with a series of padel-based challenges.

While padel isn't attempting to rival tennis as the go-to racket sport, Britain’s No.1 Norton is hoping that the success of Silverstone is just the start of an enjoyable journey ahead. She said: "The Silverstone experience with the LTA padel pop-up is definitely is one to not forget.

"Being able to help promote padel at such a huge and prestigious live-sport event was a great privilege for not only myself but all the team and players involved across the weekend.

Padel had a pop-up court at the British Grand Prix last weekend

"Seeing the success of the event as well as how much Silverstone fans were enjoying the experience gives me huge belief that padel is going to explode very, very soon... if not already!”

Given that F1 drivers are already big fans, the sport is on the right track. As well as showcasing the sport in the popular ‘Drive to Survive’ Netflix series, Ferrari star Leclerc regularly plays, while Norris has even enjoyed a game with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.

So, what makes padel different to tennis? It’s played on an enclosed court about a third the size of a tennis court, groups of mixed ages and abilities can play together.

Catherine Rose was among the British stars at the event

Padel sees itself as a fun alternative to the sport which millions will be tuning in to watch at Wimbledon this weekend.

Its popularity is booming and, if the success of Silverstone is anything to go by, it's only a matter of time before it hits the big time.

Silverstone planning major British GP change as fans clamour to buy F1 tickets

To find out more about the game and how to get started visit: How to get started playing padel | LTA

There are padel courts across the country, mainly located within tennis clubs, leisure centres and local parks. Find out where your nearest padel courts are below with the LTA’s interactive map

Matt Maltby