Formula 1 is one of the most popular sports in the world with a global audience of 1.5 billion. In 2024, a total of £1.6bn was spent across Formula 1 central, team and race venue sponsorships.

This figure is set to grow in 2025 as more brands join the track. Why? Formula 1 offers brands a unique marketing platform that allows them to reach and engage a global audience, activating locally across 24 grand prix weekends.

It’s growing popularity has led to a dramatic rise in sponsorship deals and an increasingly competitive for brands looking to join the grid. How do you navigate this landscape as a brand? Here’s all you need to know on how Formula 1 sponsorship works.

Partnership options

Formula 1 offers various sponsorship packages from central partners of the sport, to team sponsorship and venue sponsorship.

  • Team naming / Title partner
  • Team principal partner
  • Team global partner – no car branding
  • Team global partner – with car branding
  • F1 central global partner
  • F1 central regional partner
  • Race partner
  • Ambassador

The most popular strategy is team sponsorship. These partnerships make up 70% of total Formula 1 sponsorship spend, and range from team naming rights, to principal partnerships, to smaller global partners and regional packages – each with tailored levels of marketing support to meet specific brand objectives and budgets.

Alternatively, brands can join Formula 1 through a “central” partnership buy. Central marketing packages are underpinned by Formula 1 IP (not team IP) and branding is delivered through trackside logo placements and race naming rights (rather than team car and uniform).

Which industries is Formula 1 sponsorship most effective for?

Formula 1 sponsors span industry leaders and challenger brands. All looking to align with Formula 1 premium global IP synonymous with cutting-edge technology, speed and innovation.

Over the past two seasons Formula 1 sponsorship has witnessed an accelerated influx of IT, Fintech, Crypto, new fashion and Web3 brands due to the sports’ refreshed data and lifestyle focus.

New audiences are skewing younger and attracting more females due to broader, accessible consumption platforms and entertainment-lifestyle content, providing sponsors with even more touch points than ever before.

Top 10 Formula 1 spend by industry

(Source: SportQuake MarketPlace report) Lewis Hamilton at Formula 1's 75 live show

  1. IT & Services
  2. Energy
  3. Cryptocurrency
  4. Automotive
  5. Apparel & Fashion
  6. iGaming
  7. Alcohol
  8. Financial Services
  9. Travel & Tourism
  10. Logistics & Supply Chain

Building long term value

Successful sponsorships are often built on long-term partnerships that provide sustained visibility and deeper brand integration. That’s not to say that short-term partnerships don’t exist within Formula 1, but brands that build long-term relationships with races, teams and drivers create a stronger, more lasting impact. These long-term deals also offer access to exclusive packages, reinforcing brand loyalty over time.

How we can help

We help brands create winning partnerships with the biggest names in sport, enabling them to grow brand awareness, build credibility and deliver impactful results.

Our brand connection system brings together data from across the entire sports eco-system providing intelligence into what your target audience is doing, watching and engaging with, as well as looking at the moves your competitors are making.

Get in touch to find out more.