Motorsport sponsorship proposal in brief: it is the document that shows a company how a team, a driver or an event can reach its goals, not a brochure about the team. It contains the sponsor’s objectives, audience data from a third-party source, benefits beyond the logo, budget and length, and measurement. In Formula 1, according to RTR Sports Marketing’s survey of September 2026, below $2 million a year you cannot buy anything, single-race sponsorship no longer exists and at least two seasons are required.

Updated in October 2026.

Whoever writes a sponsorship proposal almost always starts from themselves: the team, the record, the calendar. That is why many proposals get no reply. Whoever reads it has a budget to defend and a single question: what do I get for my objectives? At RTR we build and read proposals from both sides of the table, and the pattern repeats: the document that wins talks about the sponsor, not the property.

The sponsorship proposal in brief

• What it is: the document that links a property (team, driver, event) to a company’s business objectives.
• What it contains: sponsor objectives, audience with a third-party source, benefits beyond the logo, calendar, budget and length, measurement, references.
• Formula 1: threshold of $2 million a year, minimum two seasons, no single race (RTR Sports Marketing, survey of September 2026).
• The most common mistake: talking about the property instead of the sponsor.

1. Start from the company, not the property

Before writing a line, find out what problem the company has: objectives, timing, budget and the difficulties it wants to solve. A well-made but self-referential brochure is not enough: the effective proposal is born from what the company told you in the first meeting, and getting it takes the right questions.

Also find the right person. Look for who decides on sponsorships, introduce yourself and the team, and if you cannot reach them always speak as high up as possible: you have only a few seconds to make a good first impression.

2. Audience data, with a third-party source

The sponsor wants to know who follows you: demographics, size, geographic spread, to be crossed with the race calendar and with the company’s target. A number without a source is worth little.

See how F1 does it: according to Nielsen Sports its fanbase reached 826.5 million in 2024 (+12%), with 52 million in the United States (+10.5%). The figure does not describe your team, but it shows the method: a recognisable source and a reference year. For your property you need your own data, from social media to event attendance, declared as such.

3. Benefits beyond the logo

The logo is the minimum. List everything you can offer to help the sponsor reach its goals, thinking of them and not of yourself:

• experiences: hospitality, simulators, meetings with the driver
• special events and use of a show car or show bike
• merchandising and licences
• visibility on communication, website, garage and structure
• PR and B2B opportunities
• dedicated content, including with team staff

A verifiable example of product as a benefit: Puma has been an official F1 supplier since 2024 and in 2026 dresses Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin; the kit the driver wears is the one the fan buys, as our analysis of Puma and F1 explains. On content as part of the contract there is the deep dive on creating sports content for the brand.

4. Budget, length and market thresholds

A proposal must say how much it costs, for how long and on what timing. In Formula 1 the market has precise thresholds: according to RTR Sports Marketing’s survey of September 2026, the minimum level is $2 million a year, below which nothing can be done, single-race sponsorship no longer exists and almost all teams ask for a minimum commitment of two years. An F1 proposal that ignores these thresholds does not stand up. For detailed costs there is the guide on the cost of a Formula 1 sponsorship.

Money is not the only currency. A team may need goods and services, from equipment to energy to maintenance, that a company can supply in kind: it is the technical supply model, like Puma’s with the teams. Offering both money and supply widens the chances of covering costs.

5. Measurement, flexibility and small companies

Build a system to measure visibility on TV and social media and report the value generated to the sponsor every month. Be flexible: if they ask for more than the logo, offer content or events made to measure. And do not overlook small or local companies: they do not have the budgets of big brands, but they can give services, relationships and access to their network.

The classic mistakes

I see three. The first is the self-referential brochure: it talks about the team and never about the sponsor’s problems. The second is the same document sent to everyone: if it does not change with the company, the sponsor sees it at once. The third is asking before giving: the amount comes after the company has seen the value, not before.

The method in five steps

1. Understand the company’s objectives, timing and budget before talking about yourself.
2. Identify the right decision-maker and reach them.
3. Build an offer with benefits beyond the logo and data with a source.
4. State budget, length and measurement without ambiguity.
5. Report the value generated every month and stay flexible.

It is the work we do every day in finding sponsors for teams, drivers and events. To enter F1 the starting point is the page on Formula 1 sponsorship; for MotoGP, the one on MotoGP sponsorship.

A proposal convinces when the sponsor finds its own objectives in it. Everything else is a brochure.

Sources: SportsPro, Nielsen Sports data on F1 fans in 2024; Formula1.com, Puma becomes official F1 supplier; Speedcafe, 2026 apparel suppliers; RTR Sports Marketing, September 2026 survey of market thresholds in F1.