Breaking down F1’s sponsorship portfolio ahead of the 2025 season

Time never stands still in the world of Formula One and nowhere is this truer than with the series’ commercial strategy.

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Under the stewardship of chief commercial officer Emily Prazer, Formula One has undergone a rapid evolution, becoming more commercially minded than ever.

Motorsport’s glamour series has always been money-centric, but there’s never been an official chocolate bar or a sponsored Drag Reduction System zone before like there was in Las Vegas. These are new commercial horizons indeed.

With Formula One’s appeal hitting new heights, brands are now tripping over themselves for a slice of the ever-expanding pie. Previously, the series opted for a selective approach to its partnerships, which saw a focus on selling scarcity and exclusivity – but this was prior to more of the world’s attention turning to Formula One.

So, where does the series’ sponsorship portfolio sit ahead of the start of the 2025 season and where is it likely to go next? BlackBook Motorsport breaks it down.

What’s new for 2025?

As most new deals for this season were finalised last year, it’s easy to forget the sheer breadth of partners that have come on board.

The most notable deal saw LVMH Group agree a landmark ten-year contract with Formula One. The global partnership is reportedly worth US$150 million per season which, if true, would make the deal worth an unprecedented US$1.5 billion.

So far, Tag Heuer has been confirmed as the official timekeeper of Formula One, with Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy also forming part of the deal. Currently, there is no confirmation of the official designations for those two brands, but it is likely that the latter will assume the position of official champagne.

The suggestion is that more brands under the LVMH umbrella will form part of this global deal, but there is yet to be any more details beyond the three aforementioned brands.

LVMH was the only new addition to the global partnership roster.

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In the wider portfolio, a sign of Formula One’s future commercial strategy saw Nestlé agree a deal for its KitKat brand to become the series’ official chocolate bar. The partnership will expand across the world in 2026, at which point there may be a few more deals of a similar ilk in place.

Santander agreed to become Formula One’s official retail banking partner from this season with a particular focus on promoting its Openbank brand, which launched in the US towards the end of 2024.

Formula One is also taking licensing more seriously, opening its doors to deals with Lego and Mattel. The former’s multi-year deal covers all ten teams, while the latter will see a full range of Hot Wheels cars released. The series has shown it is acutely aware of engaging the younger generation while still pursuing top-level partnerships.

A smaller deal that may have gone unnoticed is with Aggreko. The sustainability-focused partnership will deliver low-carbon energy solutions to all European Grands Prix in 2025 after multiple trials over the last couple of years.

Santander has also made the switch to Williams for 2025, following Spaniard Carlos Sainz to the team from Ferrari

Who’s stuck around?

The size of Formula One’s global portfolio emphasises the commercial health of the series.

A notable xample is the pact with DHL, which has served as Formula One’s global logistics partner since 2004 – the longest-running active deal in the series – and most recently signed an extension to its US$40 million-a-year deal in 2024.

A year prior, extensions were agreed with Heineken, MSC Cruises and Pirelli. The Dutch brewer has been with the series for nine years and more recently has been promoting its non-alcoholic beer as part of a deal worth a total of US$250 million.

Pirelli will continue to be Formula One’s exclusive tyre supplier until 2027, with the option of an additional year, having been with the series since 2011. The partnership was upgraded to a global level in 2018.

MSC Cruises signed its deal until 2026 which includes the opportunity to sell hospitality packages on its ships at select Grands Prix.

Other current partners include AWS on a multi-year deal that went global in 2022, a US$30 million-a-year deal with Salesforce until 2027, and an airline partnership with Qatar Airways also until 2027.

There are a handful of extensions that kick in for 2025. Lenovo signed a multi-year renewal that saw it elevated to a global partner. Motorola became the series’ global smartphone partner as part of the deal.

Crypto.com also showed that the cryptocurrency sector is not done with Formula One yet, signing a US$20 million-a-year extension until 2030.

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2025 will also see American Express’ regional partnership upgraded to a global deal, although it falls short of being an officially designated global partner. Meanwhile, 188Bet will continue as the series’ official Asian sponsor in a multi-year deal.

For more information on the full lineup of official partnerships within the series, check out SportsPro’s Formula One Commercial Guide.

What does the future hold?

Clearly, expansion is the aim for Formula One. It has a low sponsor churn rate with just AlphaTauri, Ferrari Trento, Rolex, and Workday dropping off from last year. Indeed, Ferrari Trento and Rolex both wanted to stay and only departed because of the LVMH deal.

However, there is a limit to how much sponsorship inventory Formula One has, so any expansion must be considered. Deals along the lines of KitKat becoming the series’ official chocolate bar, and thus securing a specific designation, look set to become more common as brands seek cut-through.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will be a big expansion area this year, but AWS has this covered at a global level for the series. Perhaps a smaller company could target a specific niche as the technology becomes even more prevalent?

Formula One’s efforts to expand its calendar may also have a commercial impact. Rwanda looks most likely to join the schedule first, which opens up the African market.

The series is also eyeing a greater presence in Asia, with races in Thailand and South Korea mooted. The pair’s cause could be helped by the appointment of Derek Chang as Liberty Media’s new chief executive, given he has extensive experience in the Asian market after his stint heading up the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) China operation.

Meanwhile, the launch of the all-female F1 Academy series in 2023 has offered a new opportunity for brands wanting to support women in motorsport, with the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Puma and Charlotte Tilbury all signing on. Yet, it is 23 years since a woman entered a Formula One race. Should a female driver make the step up, sponsorship interest would be considerable.

Overall, while Formula One’s commercial portfolio appears to be nearing capacity, the LVMH agreement has shown that the series will evolve its strategy for the right deal, even if that means dispensing with existing partners.

As ever, money will continue to be the mother tongue of Formula One.

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