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F1 racers respond to viral video : 6-year-old fan’s dream takes off | WATCH

A man challenged his 6-year-old F1 fan son to get 10,000 likes and a racer's response to his video, in order to attend his first-ever F1 race. The outcome was way more than that.

By Agniv Chowdhury

Mar 28, 2026 13:15 IST

Ilan Gomez, born in Florida, regularly shares videos of his go-karting on Instagram. In one such clip, he turned to his father to ask a hopeful and oddly strategic question. The goal was clear and simple: 10,000 likes and a racer’s response, and he would go to watch an F1 race with his father. However, the internet did not disappoint, showing its true potential.

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A small challenge to big numbers

A viral Instagram video featuring six-year-old Ilan Gomez has received over 4.3 million likes after he challenged his father to take him to his first Formula 1 race. The video surpassed its original goal of 10,000 likes and attracted comments from F1 drivers such as Ollie Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto. Major brands and official accounts, including F1 Las Vegas, also responded to the clip, with the latter extending an invitation for the child to attend the event in November, making the young fan’s F1 dream take off.

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Brands invite the young fan

Major automobile brands BMW and Audi were among those that sent their wishes to the six-year-old fan.

The young fan, Ilan Gomez, gained international attention after a video of him asking his father how many likes he needed to attend his first F1 race went viral. In the video, the child specifically called out drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for support. Beyond the automobile brands, the official F1 Las Vegas account also responded by inviting the boy to the upcoming race in November.

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