4.2 million likes: 6-year-old racer conquers the internet and gets invited to Azerbaijan Grand Prix
A six-year-old boy from Florida, Ilan Gomez, asked his father a simple question: how many likes does he need to get to be taken to a Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time?
The father set the bar: 10,000 likes and a comment from a real F1 driver.
The internet couldn’t resist.
A short video posted by Ilan’s father on social media under the account @ilan_racing garnered 4.2 million likes and 18.2 thousand comments on Instagram alone within a few days — surpassing the father’s threshold by 420 times. But the numbers weren’t the most important part.
Comments started appearing under the post that few could have anticipated.
Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto wrote, “Bring him to the raceeee” — his comment received 1 million likes.
Haas driver Ollie Bearman responded with a single key emoji — earning 990 thousand likes.
The official account of the São Paulo Grand Prix promised a spot in the paddock in 2026: “Come experience the São Paulo paddock in 2026!” Brands like Duracell and Audi USA also joined in.
However, among all the reactions, one stands out in particular.
The official account of Baku City Circuit — the organizer of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix — wrote directly to the boy: “Hey Buddy, would love to have you at the Azerbaijan GP 🇦🇿 Check your DM!” The comment was liked by the author, and it seems that a conversation has already begun.
Ilan Gomez is six years old. According to his Instagram profile, he started his karting career in October 2025 and describes himself as a “mini racer with F1 dreams.” Of Puerto Rican descent and born in Florida, he has already amassed 30.5 thousand followers — and it looks like this is just the beginning.
It’s still unclear when Ilan will make it to a track — whether in Baku, São Paulo, or somewhere else. But one thing is obvious: the father’s condition has been met with flying colors.
