Short for ‘Best Water Technology,’ BWT are one of the many big brands involved in F1 sponsorship. In this feature you will learn what makes them special and how they have benefitted from forming partnerships in F1…

BWT is an Austrian water brand, and their involvement in F1 has involved partnering with different teams and drivers. Their sponsorship of the Force India/Racing Point F1 team is probably what they’re best known for, as the partnership involved a unique pink livery. However, it is important to look deeper into the brand’s motorsport sponsorship programme- they certainly present an interesting case study. Their sponsorship programme even extends to ‘grassroots’, as they are also investing in the F1 feeder ladder. This demonstrates BWT’s understanding of the potential growth of motorsport, and they could present an interesting model for other brands looking to get involved in motorsport sponsorship.

The Austrian brand lead the way in terms of water treatment in Europe, providing clean water from taps and water dispensers. Their policy revolves around not selling plastic water bottles due to the negative impacts wasting plastic can have on the environment. These unique principles make BWT a valuable presence in F1, especially when you consider the sport’s pledge to becoming more sustainable by reducing their carbon emissions- demonstrated by ambitious sustainability targets.

BWT’s partnerships with F1 teams

As previously mentioned, BWT’s most notable involvement in F1 has been through team sponsorship. For years they had a strong relationship with Aston Martin, which saw BWT establish themselves as the main sponsors of Aston Martin’s F1 team, previously known as Racing Point Force India and Racing Point. This partnership began back in 2017, and it helped build BWT a platform in F1- the deal saw all of the Racing Point Force India cars switch to pink liveries, the main colour of the Austrian brand. The pink cars brought a lot of commercial success for BWT due to how much they stood out. However, following changes to the Aston Martin team’s strategy and a desire to revert to Aston Martin’s iconic green liveries, the brands ended their partnership in 2021.

The end of this partnership didn’t end BWT’s sponsorship of F1 however, as in 2022 they announced a fresh partnership, this time with the Alpine F1 team. Sponsoring Alpine makes sense for BWT, as the brand’s shared principles make them perfect partners- not only are Alpine an exciting team, but they have also pledged to use their platform to bring important social matters to the light. This goes hand in hand with BWT’s mission to ‘Change the World- sip by sip’. This alignment of values is symbolised by the pink and blue Alpine car livery, as the pink represents BWT’s mission to make drinking water more sustainable.

The strong relationship between the two brands is emphasised by Cedric Journel, Alpine Sales and Marketing Vice President, ‘We are excited to announce that BWT will be the title partner for Alpine F1 Team for the next years. Both Alpine’s and BWT’s sustainability agendas are fully aligned on eliminating single use plastics and we are pleased to join forces to convince many people around the globe, our employees, partners, customers and fans to reduce plastic waste. In parallel we will use the huge global platform F1 provides to support BWT in their fight against the unfair distribution of clean, safe and healthy drinking water.’

BWT are looking to use their unique platform as an F1 team sponsor to propel the issues of unsustainable resources and accessibility to clean water. As previously mentioned, their logo is present on Alpine cars, as well as their iconic pink liveries, and this partnership will see the Alpine team help push BWT’s message. It’s also important to shed light on the incredible work BWT do to provide clean water to people in less developed countries, as they are running a project to build 10,000 wells in Gambia, Tanzania, and the surrounding area.

Other involvement in motorsports

Through their involvement in motorsports other than F1, BWT highlight the fact they understand how significant a platform the motorsport world offers. The BWT pink liveries can also be seen competing in the Formula 2 Championship, as BWT are the official title sponsor of BWT HWA RACELAB. They also invest in the development of upcoming talent, as seen through their presence in Formula 4 with the BWT Mücke Motorsport team. It’s clear to see the Austrian brand has developed a love for motorsport, and this passion allows for them to form special relationships. This transformation of sponsorships into partnerships is the key to getting the most out of your commercial deals.

Top drivers endorsing BWT

BWT’s involvement in F1 even extends to partnerships with individual drivers, as they have been endorsed by some of the sport’s greatest athletes. Sebastian Vettel became an official partner to the brand in 2021 as a part of the partnership with the Aston Martin F1 team. The partnership with the German icon saw Vettel become the face of various BWT campaigns, including the conversion of selected schools into ‘Bottle Free Zones’. Vettel made for a logical brand ambassador due to the work he does to help drive forward the ‘Save the Planet’ movement.

After the partnership with Vettel ended along with the Aston Martin one, BWT recruited 2-time world champion, Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard used to wear a pink helmet, with the brand’s motto, ‘Change the World- sip by sip’.

The benefits of the BWT-F1 relationship are mutual- obviously F1’s global platform is invaluable to BWT, as they are able to push their message to fans all over the world, however F1 also benefit from having such an eco-friendly brand in their corner. It consolidates their movement to help make their sport more sustainable, as in 2019 they announced a plan to become carbon neutral by 2030. BWT and F1 having common goals has made F1 an environment which the water brand can really thrive in, and it’ll be interesting to see what comes next.  Maybe we could see F1 become a ‘Bottle Free Zone’ in the near future…