Sponsors in F1

Racing in Formula 1 has always been a high-octane display of dexterity, accuracy and invention.

Martini girls at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on 10 September 2006. Photo by Motorsport.com.

Formula 1 sponsors are almost as visible as the teams and drivers themselves and the world’s most expensive sport simply wouldn’t exist without them.

Why sponsor F1? July 02 2013. By James Parrish for F1-Confidential.com.

Ayrton Senna’s Lotus John Player Special at the Goodwood festival. Photo by Alamy.

Sponsorship: logos on cars, it’s not the whole story!

I was recently asked what F1 would be like without sponsors. After a little thinking I came up with this picture in my mind: “blank cars circle the track, they are certainly not the best and fastest machines in the world. The drivers are rich – they are not the best in the world, instead they are the Tony Stark’s of the world, entrepreneurs looking for hobbies. The stand are empty – the sport has lost credibility with the viewing public.”

Not very attractive is it? It is important to know that sponsorship plays a major role in all sports. But it could be said that it plays an even greater role in F1: in 2008 Formula Money calculated that $1.53bn was spent on Formula 1 sponsorship (inclusive of Formula One Management and all teams). So whatever anyone says to the contrary, sponsorship is essential to maintain the show. If you are like me then you may even believe it can enhance the show when done correctly. Despite this, there is no doubt that the general public and global business audience’s understanding of F1 sponsorship is underdeveloped, so this week I want to focus developing this understanding.

Racing Point F1 2020 car launch.

It isn’t “just” money for logos on cars

I recently read one definition that described sponsorship as… ‘A person or company that finances a project or an event carried out by another person or group in return for advertising time.’ I think that sums up most people’s perception. You may have the impression that sponsorship is all about the amount of time a brand is visible either on TV or at a live event, but it isn’t!

Jacques Laffite in his Ligier Matra.

For 99% of sponsors the amount of seconds their brand is visible isn’t the priority – at least it shouldn’t be! Don’t get me wrong, all brands in the sport want as much coverage as they can get.

It was a priority for LG when they announced their F1 Global Partnership in 2008, but for the majority sponsorship isn’t about achieving the highest number of seconds of brand exposure possible. Ultimately it’s about increasing sales revenue and profitability. It may be blunt but all businesses, just like people, strive for a continual trajectory of progression. It’s all about making incremental gains year on year and becoming more successful.

A Castrol Lubricants poster with the Williams of Jacques Villeneuve.

So how do businesses do this? Well it isn’t by having a logo in every TV shot. Ask yourself how often you buy products based on the fact their logo is everywhere. I’m willing to wager it’s not that often! So how do these companies increase their market penetration and profits by sponsoring an F1 team and/or driver? By enhancing their strategic position in the first instance and by creating and developing unique competitive advantages. In order to explain this in more detail, let’s look at four key areas of sponsorship that can help drive a business’s sales and enhance the value of its sponsorship investment.

Increasing consumer sales

People like products, they like brands and they like other people because they personally relate with them.

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

For example sponsorship helps Red Bull reach its target audience through communication linked with their passions. For many, sport provides an escape from everyday life and forms part of their self-identity.

The Red Bull. Photo by Racefans.net.

By entwining the Red Bull brand with extreme sports and F1, the Red Bull brand becomes part of any person’s self-identity that shares these passions. This emotional connection is an attractive vehicle when communicating with consumers and helps to build brand preference. Note however, this isn’t about brand awareness. Their target market knew they existed before, they just didn’t relate the Red Bull brand to themselves, so didn’t previously purchase Red Bull products.

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and their Red Bull.

You might think that this may be easier for a strong energetic brand like Red Bull, but in truth the brand only became strong through sponsorship and there are examples of other brands that aren’t exciting seeing similar positive results. Take the two Unilever brands “Clear” and “Rexona” – mass market shampoos and deodorants, not exactly exciting, but they still increasing sales through F1 sponsorship.

For many consumers around the world “Clear” and “Rexona” are already household-names, so again Unilever had no requirement for any brand awareness.

A Lotus and some girls in 2012.

So why pay to brand the Lotus cars? The simple answer is “association”. The more branding you have, the more association you have, which in turn leads to better consumer uptake of promotional activity, particularly around on-pack and point of sale promotional activity. Essentially the branding has developed a strong link to the F1 team in your mind, which means when you see the promotions on TV or in-store they have more credibility and are more likely to be taken up. This approach stimulates “personal preference” in much shorter time scales than more conventional campaigns may do when just limited to print and/or poster.

Business-to-business sales

After taking a look at consumer sales, known as business to consumer or “B2C”, it’s only fair that we look at the other side of the coin, business-to-business (“B2B”) sales. The total volume of global B2B transactions is much higher than the volume of B2C transactions due to supply chains. Many businesses that sell to consumers also sell to the business market and some even just sell B2B.

Take BlackBerry for an example. The first thought that comes to most people’s minds is that BlackBerry is in F1 to sell mobile phones to consumers. Wrong, through their F1 sponsorship they are also able to sell into the B2B market. How do they do this? Well today F1 has a business network of more than 220 global businesses which are involved in the sport as sponsors in one way or another.

Using the F1 paddock as a networking base, BlackBerry can meet many of these businesses over the course of the season and can establish (quite easily and usually on an informal basis) whether these companies are open to BlackBerry supplying them phones for their staff.

Jenson Button in his McLaren sponsored by Vodafone.

They can also meet other sponsors at races who provide complimentary services such as Vodafone for example. As a team sponsor, they can also invite decision makers of businesses that are not involved in the sport to initiative conversations that have never taken place otherwise.

Sponsorship and the hospitality options available to brands are a proven platform for client cultivation. Many sponsors are involved in F1 purely for B2B opportunities allowing them to increase willingness to purchase and increase sales. Many also run effective B2B marketing promotions. In fact Vodafone were able to increase the effectiveness of their small and medium enterprise (“SME”) promotions by approximately 250% by using F1-themed activity.

A part of George Russell’s Mercedes sponsored by Petronas.

Product licensing

Sponsorship can also increase the range of products a company offers by creation of a licensed product. A licensing agreement authorises a company to use a team’s brand in relation to a particular product. Many recent licensed products relate to the advanced technology on modern day F1 cars, but it need not be limited to technology.

Michael Schumacher in a Benetton sponsored by Tag Heuer.

Many teams have licensing partnerships with watch brands that align with the style and sophistication of F1.

In 2021 Ferrari announces a multi-year partnership agreement with Richard Mille. Photo by Richard Mille.

Examples include TW Steel, Oris, IWC and, since last Friday, French brand Richard Mille.

Some licensed products simply use the team’s brand name; others – often the more credible and successful – design a product in partnership or take their inspiration from the team or the car.

A McLaren and its sponsors.

McLaren are one team that have created numerous licensed products.

McLaren and Smartsheet Sponsor X partnership.

My personal favourite is the partnership with Specialized Bicycles that utilised McLaren’s F1 wind tunnel to optimize their racing cycle’s aerodynamics. Licensed products often help to raise brand perception and often allow the resultant product to carry a premium price tag, generating even greater profit margins than the standard products.

Michael Schumacher with a girl.

Employee engagement

One day companies may be entirely run by computers and machines, but that time hasn’t arrived yet, so for now at least the most important resource in a company is its employees. One area that sponsorship can be extremely effective and is often neglected is employee engagement. Sponsorship can be used to promote better operational performance and demonstrate, inspire and motivate a workforce.

Celebrating F1 victory, McLaren exhibit a Mercedes racing car model, sponsored by Spanish bank Santander, at the Spanish street festival ‘A taste of Spain’, near Regent Street, in central London. Photo by David Parry - PA Images / via Getty Images.

As well as B2C and B2B sales, the Spanish banking giant Santander has used F1 to actively engage their employees. The company has correctly adopted the philosophy that when you have a global workforce you need to give them some motivational tools that reflect positively on the business and communicate its aspirations for the future. To measure F1’s effectiveness, Santander conducted an internal staff survey. The results were surprising and revealed that 96% of its employees agreed that the sponsorship generated improved business results.

Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Stefano Domenicali and Felipe Massa.

In all sponsorships, businesses can use their rights to foster employee pride and create staff development and incentive programmes to help generate strong business results. In F1 for example, most of the teams have several turn-key initiatives such as pit stop challenges that their sponsors can use to engage to their employees. Others run prizes for top sales representatives that award them a few days soaking in the whole glamorous and aspirational F1 lifestyle.

Conclusion: branding is an enhancement to wider activities

Hopefully after reading this feature, you won’t see F1 sponsorship as “just” stickers on cars or money for TV time any longer. While branding is hugely important to a company’s overall sponsorship strategy, it is often just an enhancement that encompasses other activities such as B2C sales promotions, advertising and B2B sales. When successfully combined, sponsorship helps develop a trustworthy stature for the business and its brand, making the initial investment all the more worthwhile.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Honda.

There will be 275 sponsorship programs during the 2023 Formula 1 season across the 10 teams taking part in the Championship. Once again, we at RTR Sports have compiled the list of all the Formula 1 sponsors, according to the official teams’ press materials and communication channels.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Honda.

It’s the definitive litmus test for a sport that’s been growing constantly and have reached larger-than-life media and viewership figures, with almost two billion people tuned in for a Grand Prix at some point in 2022… not considering the social media platforms.

Lotus E22 and Singapore Airlines Airbus A380.

Companies of all sizes and from all industries have flocked to the pinnacle of Formula 1 to enjoy extensive marketing benefits and global exposure to fans worldwide. Trend-wise it has to be noted that, while there’s a small drop in the enthusiasm shown by crypto, the Web3 sector is still going strong and lots of new tech brands have joined the race.

DeFi-style Casino Stake and cross-border P2P payment solution Moneygram are but two examples of a very lively and exciting space.

Saudia sponsorship on a Williams F1 car at Brands Hatch, England, on 29 June 2008. Photo by Alamy.

Sponsorship packages available in Formula 1

With each sponsorship package catered to a different amount of investment and business goals, Formula 1 teams offer a variety of sponsorship opportunities.

The following are examples of the most typical F1 sponsorship packages:

• Title sponsorship: this grants the company naming rights to the team and top brand exposure on team cars, drivers’ suits and other team assets. Title sponsorships are the most expensive option and usually cost millions of dollars per year.
• Major sponsorship: while not granting naming rights, major sponsors enjoy significant brand exposure on cars and other team assets. Companies can expect to pay multi-million dollars per year for this level of F1 sponsorship.
• Minor sponsorship: these sponsors receive logo placements on team cars and drivers’ suits, but with less prominent positioning compared to title and major sponsors.
• Technical partnerships: companies provide teams with specialized products (e.g., tires, fuel, or automotive components) and services (e.g., data analysis or technical consulting) in exchange for exposure on team assets.

Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat and two girls in Austria.

Grid girls in Austria.

Why do companies spend millions on Formula 1 sponsorship?

Formula 1 is a worldwide sport with a storied past that draws millions of ardent followers from all over the world, giving it a great platform for businesses wishing to expand the reach and recognition of their brands.

Foster’s girls.

Foster’s girls.

A Foster’s girl.

Businesses invest in F1 sponsorships for a variety of reasons, including to expand their brand’s visibility, align their company with the sport’s principles of innovation, accuracy and performance and gain access to unique networking and business development opportunities.

Qatar Airways and Formula 1.

Providing one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to customers, staff members and other stakeholders through Formula 1 sponsorship also helps businesses build customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Eni grid girls.

Cases of successful F1 sponsor partnerships

Many F1 sponsorships have been very successful, forging long-lasting symbiotic bonds between organizations and teams.

Examples that stand out include:

• Ferrari and Marlboro: Marlboro’s iconic red and white logo adorned Ferrari cars for over two decades, making it one of the most recognized partnerships in Formula 1 history.
• Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin: both firms have benefited greatly from the collaboration in terms of exposure and marketing opportunities. To commemorate the relationship, Aston Martin even released a special Vantage model called the “Red Bull Racing Edition.”

Marlboro girls at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

This is why US money will increasingly distance F1 from Europe. The US interest in F1 has translated itself into considerable economic investments in the category. By Stefano Ollanu.

Formula 1, the ideal platform for sponsors

In 1960 Formula 1 crossed the finish line of ten years since its creation. It was a decidedly different sport from today's, set in an era of gentleman drivers who took now unacceptable risks. Clearly the amount of money gravitating around the category was significantly lower than the current one and the first sponsors who approached the teams were seen as a sort of betrayal of the competitive spirit. The first brand to make an agreement with a team was Yeoman Credit LTD, a car insurance company which signed an agreement with the British Racing Partnership, which brought some Coopers to the track. Owners Ken Gregory and Alfred Moss renamed the team the "Yeoman Credit Racing Team" following an investment of £40,000 in equipment and £20,000 in running the team. The partnership lasted for three seasons and was followed by a real boom of advertising that invaded F1, starting from the Lotus Golden Leaf of 1968 up to the present day with liveries that have marked the history and imagination of the category, such as the Lotus John Player Special, the McLaren Marlboro and the Williams Camel.

Currently, companies associate with Formula 1 or teams with purely financial operations or the sharing of specific technical skills. Each brand enters the top of the automotive industry with the clear objective of having a commercial return on its investment, which can be read in terms of increased sales, increased visibility and brand recognition or with purely strategic purposes. As analyzed by marketing expert Maksim Minkov, the main sectors that are investing in Formula 1 are IT and software services, engineering and automotive, which have gradually replaced historical reference areas such as alcohol or tobacco.

F1 fans demographic data and loyalty to sponsor

Formula 1 reaches over 180 countries around the world, thanks to the sale of television rights and therefore offers a truly broad audience for sponsors who intend to associate with it. Recent research by Nielsen provided the demographic data of the public who follows the Grands Prix:

the fan base is made up of wealthy, educated men between 25 and 54 years old.

56% of fans are men.

68% of fans are between 16 and 44 years old.

47% of fans have a high education.

60% of fans have an annual income of more than $50,000.

Lewis Hallett shared the results of a survey carried out on the 'F1 Fan Voice' platform on a sample of 2 thousand fans, who described their level of loyalty to the sponsors present in F1:

40% follow a brand on social media because it sponsors an F1 team.

Around 30% follow a brand on social media because it sponsors F1.

40% purchased a product because they were sponsors of a team or F1.

11% are reluctant to purchase a rival team's sponsor product.

For 40%, the loyalty of a brand to the team encourages a purchase.

The research shows that companies are more likely to reach consumers by sponsoring a team rather than the entire F1. While 40% of fans who have purchased a partner brand of a team or category may appear to be a significant figure, it is instead lower than data from other series such as NASCAR, reflecting the description of the average American fan, who has a higher level of 'compulsive buying' than the rest of the world.

The boom of American sponsors

It is no mystery that the TV series 'Drive to Survive' have attracted a new, younger and global audience to Formula 1. Particularly in the United States, the maximum expression of motorsport has attracted enormous attention, immediately monetized in substantial investments.

The Grands Prix in the USA have increased from one to three in the space of two years, just as the cost of television rights purchased by ESPN has increased 18 times. But not only that, because an analysis carried out by the Finnish Spomotion Analytics showed the historic overtaking of sponsors made in the USA compared to those of the main European markets. At the start of the championship, there were 105 American companies associated with the ten Formula 1 teams, compared to 104 from the sum of Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and France.

The quantity of US brands almost doubled compared to 2019 (there were 'only' 55), with a progress comparable to the growth graph produced by Drive to Survive. Of the new sponsors arriving in 2023, 30% come from the United States.

It was clearly the world champion team that benefited from the major investments, i.e. Red Bull, which in the last two years went from 9 to 18 partners and in 2026 is preparing to embrace a brand like Ford, which will make it even more attractive for American companies. McLaren is also well established in the States, with 25 brands, while Haas is third with 8.

To give an idea of the amount of US money that is arriving on the teams, the three-year agreement between Stake and Alfa Romeo has been quantified in 93 million dollars, the three-year one between MoneyGram and Haas in 20 million dollars per year, the one between Oracle and Red Bull the incredible figure of 300 million dollars in total (from 2022 to 2026).

The USA confirms itself as a boundless prairie

As mentioned on the television rights side, the United States is a boundless prairie for Formula 1 to be explored also on the sponsor side. Red Bull and its partners can add up the considerable sum of 105 US companies that invest in their product, a notable figure compared to, for example, Formula E (22) and the WRC (5), but decidedly lower than the two main American motorsport categories. The IndyCar Series has 151 brands in its portfolio, while NASCAR dominates with 296 US brands, due to the previously mentioned 'compulsive purchasing' dynamic of its fans. Rooting itself more and more in the United States, Formula 1 has the clear objective of welcoming an ever-increasing number of local investors both for the teams and for itself, in a historical period in which European companies do not seem so inclined to pour capital into motorsport. Let's also not forget that the global partners of the category include the American companies AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Salesforce. And even in terms of the average cost of tickets, the USA leads the way.

According to the analysis of F1Destination, the three-day event in Las Vegas is the most expensive, with an average price of 1667 dollars, followed by Miami at 1113 dollars, with the first of the European Grands Prix, that of Monte Carlo, fourth at 677 dollars. But there is a downside: to meet the interest of American fans and companies, we run the risk of modifying the sport too much for the historic European audience. What would happen if the American public - extremely fickle, as demonstrated by the boom generated by 'Drive to Survive' - decided to turn its attention elsewhere?

Photo gallery

Ayrton Senna, 27, who is again driving for Lotus this season under their new sponsor 'Camel Cigarettes' and with new engines by Honda, on 24 July 1987. Photo by PA Images via Getty Images.

Alain Prost, McLaren-Honda, in 1989. Photo by Jean-Yves Ruszniewski / Corbis / VCG via Getty Images.

Johnny Herbert of Great Britain (far right) and driver of the n.20 Benetton B188 Ford V8 stands with two samba dancers and his team mate Alessandro Nannini at a sponsor function for the Brazilian Grand Prix on 25th March 1989 at the Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet in Jacarepagua, near Rio de Janeiro. Photo by Pascal Rondeau / Getty Images.

Nigel Mansell's Williams-Renault on September 1st, 1992. Photo by Patrick Aventurier / Gamma Rapho via Getty Images.

The Formula 1 stars Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard pose on the beach in Palma de Mallorca on July 17, 1999 before a beach volleyball game with their mixed partners Christina Schneider (2nd from left) and Anja Finkelmann of the second division club TSV Spandau Berlin. The reigning world champion Häkkinen and his teammate Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes racing team, were on a promotional tour for their sponsor West on the holiday island. In the evening, the two of them also presented a special version of a Mercedes A-Class model signed by them as surprise guests on the television show "Wetten, dass..?" Photo by Katja Lenz / Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

Nick Heidfeld from Germany looks out from the cockpit of the n.15 Gauloises Prost AP03 Peugeot V10 during practice for the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix on 6th May 2000 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Photo by Darren Heath / Getty Images.

Ferrari Managing Director Jean Todt, not pictured, gives a guided tour behind the scenes at the Ferrari production factory in 2001. Race clothing belonging to Michael Schumacher. Photo by Richard Melloul / Sygma via Getty Images.

Jarno Trulli drives the n.12 Benson & Hedges Jordan EJ11 Honda RA001E V10 out of the tunnel during the F1 Monaco Grand Prix on 27 May 2001 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte-Carlo. Photo by Darren Heath via Getty Images.

Arturo Merzario smokes a cigarette whilst wearing his trademark Stetson cowboy hat with sponsorship patches from Marlboro during the Formula One Italian Grand Prix on 16 September 2001 at Monza. Photo by Darren Heath / Getty Images.

Juan Pablo Montoya from Colombia driving the n.6 Williams FW24 BMW V10 during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix on 13th October 2002 at the Suzuka Circuit. Photo by Darren Heath / Getty Images.

A detailed view of the nose section of the Ferrari F2005 V10 during the F1 Turkish Grand Prix on 21 August 2005 at the Circuit Istanbul Park. Photo by Darren Heath / Getty Images

Ron Dennis, Team Principal of McLaren Mercedes and Chairman of the McLaren Group and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group, inspect the Formula 1 car during the McLaren Mercedes press conference to announce a new sponsorship deal with Emirates at the Hotel Schweizerhof on 08 March 2006 in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Carsten Koall / Bongarts / Getty Images.

Sakon Yamamoto of Japan drives the n. 23 Super Aguri SA05 Honda RA806E V8 during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix on 08 October 2006. Photo by Darren Heath / Getty Images.

Promotion girls and a Renault F1 in 2008. Photo by Pal Pillai / AFP via Getty Images.

Promotion girls and a Renault F1 in 2008. Photo by Pal Pillai / AFP via Getty Images.

Ready for the arrival of Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton who is about to attend a press conference hosted by the aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, his name is seen on a press conference table, on 15 July, 2008. He uses Bombardier's Learjet 45 to attend races and events around the world. Fulfilling his commitments to the many sponsors of his McLaren team and those of his personal life, Hamilton travels to events between his professional driving at Grand Prix around the world. He uses the Learjet as a means of fast flight after races to spend more time with his family and to prepare for the next track competition. Photo by In Pictures Ltd. / Corbis via Getty Images.

The new Virgin sponsorship logo is applied to a Brawn GP car before the qualifying session at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, on 23 March 2009. Photo by PA Images via Getty Images.

Brawn GP's main sponsor Virgin's Sir Richard Branson celebrates Brawn's first and second places during the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, on 29 March 2009. Photo by PA Images via Getty Images.

Brawn GP's main sponsor Virgin's Sir Richard Branson celebrates Brawn's first and second places with former Jordan team owner Eddie Jordan during the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, on 29 March 2009. Photo by PA Images via Getty Images.

Renault Formula One cars are parked inside the pits without ING sponsor logos before the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, the world's only street night race, at the Marina Bay street circuit on 27 September 2009. Renault suffered further fallout from a race-fixing scandal when sponsors ING and Mutua Madrilena retired their contracts. Photo by Victor Fraile /Corbis via Getty Images.

Ferrari store sign on the ground floor of a condominium in Rome, Italy, on 14 March 2011. Photo by Getty Images.

Adrian Newey holds the Segrave Trophy, an award presented by The Royal Automobile Club at the RAC Club, London, on 30 March 2011. Photo by Nick Potts / PA Images via Getty Images.

Frankfurt, Germany, 25 September 2011: the logo of Red Bull Racing Team with two typical bulls fighting each other is attached on the blue metallic hood of a Volkswagen rally car version which is being displayed on the world\'s biggest automobile exhibition, the IAA in Frankfurt. Red Bull Racing is actually extremely popular in Germany because Formular One World Champion from Red Bull team, Sebastian Vettel, lives just a few kilometers away from Frankfurt. Besides Formula One, Red Bull also runs a rally team. Originally Red Bull is the manufacturer of a non-alcoholic energy drink. Castrol is the supplier of the engine oil and thus a team sponsor. Photo by Getty Images.

A beautiful Santander sponsored Spanish Formula One grid girl standing on the starting grid before the 2012 European Grand Prix at the Valencia Street Circuit in Spain on 24 June 2012. Photo by Darren Heath / Getty Images.

Michael Schumacher honored as a "Legend of Sports" on 10 November 2012. Photo by Peter Bischoff / Getty Images.

Michael Schumacher with the two-time Olympic champion Katarina (Kati) Witt and Stefan Lauer, a Lufthansa top manager, on 10 November 2012. Photo by Peter Bischoff / Getty Images.

Comte De Mazeray Golden Girls arrive on the Patron Spirits Green carpet during the My Yacht F1 Club event sponsored by Patron Spirits, Lamborghini North America and Comte De Mazeray at Ballet Austin in Texas on 18 November 2012. Photo by Gary Miller / WireImage via Getty Images.

Actress Nicole Taylor, right, enjoys the V.I.P. room of the My Yacht F1 Club event sponsored by Patron Spirits, Lamborghini North America and Comte De Mazeray at Ballet Austin in Texas on 18 November 2012. Photo by Getty Images.

Golden Girls deliver Jeroboams of Comte de Mazeray 24K gold champagne while guests enjoy DJ Alex Karlsson during the My Yacht F1 Club event sponsored by Patron Spirits, Lamborghini North America and Comte De Mazeray at Ballet Austin in Texas on 18 November 2012. Photo by Gary Miller / WireImage via Getty Images.

A Red Bull F1 in part sponsored by Siemens is displayed during the Siemens annual general shareholders' meeting at the Olympiahalle on 23 January 2013 in Munich, Germany. Siemens announced that, although the new orders declined slightly year-over-year, the book-to-bill ratio was again above 1 for the first time in three quarters. Total Sectors profit rose some four percent. Photo by Lennart Preiss / Getty Images for Siemens.

Scuderia Toro Rosso sponsor Estrella Galicia logo during practice for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo on 13 May 2016. Photo by Peter Fox / Getty Images.

Marc Gene of Spain and Ferrari talks with host Giselle Zarur Maccise, Sydney Kimball, Shell Retail Americas and Kai-Uwe Witterstein, Shell Sponsorship on stage at the Shell Eco Marathon event during the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on 27 October 2016 in Mexico City. Photo by Getty Images.

Scuderia Toro Rosso new sponsor Kio Networks during previews to the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 27, 2016 in Mexico City. Photo by Peter Fox / Getty Images.

Retiring Brazilian Formula One driver Felipe Massa of Williams and Brazil was emotional today when Williams Martini Racing’s title sponsor dedicated its iconic logo to the driver, replacing MARTINI with MASSA on the car that he will race this weekend in front of a home crowd, for the final time, at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The livery change is the first of its kind for a Formula One sponsor, with MARTINI also replacing its rear wing branding to say Obrigado, which means ‘thank you’ in Portuguese, at Autodromo de Interlagos on 10 November 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Clive Mason / Getty Images for Martini.

Grid girls during qualifying for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco on May 27, 2017 in Monte-Carlo. Photo by Peter J Fox / Getty Images.

Scuderia Alpha Tauri's new sponsor Epicor on the front wing during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on 21 October 2021 in Austin, Texas. Photo by Peter Fox / Getty Images.

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