How much does F1 sponsorship cost?

The cost of a Formula 1 sponsorship deal can go from $1 million to $70 million, depending on the marketing benefits you want to include and the teams you want to sponsor. Global partners such as Oracle and Aramco have sizable contracts with F1 teams, reflecting their worldwide branding and the widespread appeal of F1. Single-race sponsorships can start at around $800,000, but they warrant careful evaluation: they are highly tactical, short-term activations, and F1 teams generally prioritize season-long agreements, often structured as multi-year partnerships (commonly around three years). That said, for local companies or regional partners seeking an initial entry into F1, this can be a practical and more accessible first step. Entry levels of $1 million will buy little to no visibility on the car and hardly any on top-of-the-grid challengers – and the right to use the teams’ logo, name, and fame on your marketing and communication materials. This approach is often followed by brands that aim to become an official partner. These partners will then engage with fans worldwide via social media platforms and other means to boost their visibility.

On the other end, $50 million+ has a wide and extraordinary array of marketing benefits. While your logo on the car is generally very big, it’s the amount of activation opportunities, PR stunts, hospitality packages, media support, and communication grunt that really make these deals true marketing powerhouses. Companies like Cash App have used these opportunities to their advantage, building a strong presence in the F1 world through extensive partnerships.

Advertising in F1 offers brands unparalleled exposure to a global audience, making it a highly sought-after marketing strategy for companies looking to enhance their visibility and connect with fans in a dynamic environment.

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TRY THE SPONSORSHIP CALCULATOR

• At RTR Sports Marketing we have designed the Formula 1 sponsorship calculator: a free, exciting tool to learn more about the cost of sponsorship in Formula 1. Who do you want to sponsor? What marketing benefits do you need? Explore the process of tailor-making a sponsorship package in the premier class of four-wheel racing. Click here to try our Formula 1 Sponsorship Calculator right away.

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Understanding the cost of Formula 1 sponsorship

The cost of sponsoring a Formula 1 team can vary greatly depending on the size and involvement of your company.

As an example, smaller businesses usually pay around the $1 million mark, while larger corporations may spend several million dollars per year in support for their F1 partnership.

In many articles of this blog we have attempted to answer the question “How much does sponsorship cost…?” Or “How much to sponsor an F1 team?” These are key questions when we face a sponsorship project in a company, and it is one of the first questions that is asked to sport marketing agencies such as ours.

Today we want to deal with the cost of the sponsorships in the Formula 1 environment.

The most powerful sports marketing communication platform in the world

The Formula 1 championship has always been one of the most interesting activities for those who study sports marketing, and it is also a common case study in the partnership world. In fact, it is from Formula 1 that the concept of modern sport sponsorship developed, and it is here that we can still find the most surprising advancements of the discipline. That’s why there is always curiosity about the F1 sponsorship cost and the budget invested by Formula 1 sponsors.

Also, F1 is a sport with planetary visibility, and it has the extraordinary (and very rare) characteristic of being a mobile communication platform: every 7 or 15 days the circus goes to a different country, bringing the possibility of engagement on-site, hospitality opportunities, etc.

The common belief is that the pinnacle of racing is among the most expensive sports to invest in. 

It’s totally worth it, though. Formula 1 represents the top tier of motorsport, with a global TV audience of 2.1 billion during the year (Brazil, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the Netherlands being the top viewing markets), according to Nielsen. Overall, Europe is the first market for TV audiences (66.7%), followed by Central and South America (22.1%), Asia Pacific (5.1%), North America (3.4%), and Africa and the Middle East (2.8%). The average F1 viewer is 38 years old, 62% men and 38% women, with an average of 0.44 kids per household. It’s a younger, more diverse audience if compared with other major series like the Premier League (42 yo, 67% male) and the Champions League (41 yo, 70% male). Social media are also a valuable channel, with the F1 organization alone amounting to +71M followers across all the platforms. Teams such as Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull can add their own impressive fanbases with a combined total of 31M, 53M, and 32M followers each if considering Instagram, Facebook, and X.

For many people, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren are not only sports teams but also symbols of speed, performance, excellence, and technology. Again, advertising in Formula 1 offers brands unparalleled brand positioning opportunities, making it a lucrative investment for companies looking to reach a global audience.”

The cost of sponsoring a Formula 1 Team and sponsoring the F1 Championship

First of all, sponsoring a Formula 1 team is very different than sponsoring the Formula 1 World Championship as a whole.

Trackside visibility, activation opportunities, and fan-zone presence are just some of the benefits of being an official Formula 1 sponsor among the likes of Heineken, Aramco, DHL, and many more. If you’re looking for that sort of opportunity, we are looking at +€5M upwards per season.

As mentioned, it goes without saying that to answer the question “How much does F1 sponsorship cost?” we should first define the property we are discussing and the benefits we are targeting. Because, at the end of the day, an F1 sponsorship cost is only related to the marketing goals and needs of the sponsor.

 

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TAKING ACTION

• Is your brand interested in Formula 1 sponsorship? We’ve been helping brands and clients with motorsport sponsorship plans and packages since 1995. If you’re looking for a bespoke consultancy, inquire today.
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• The more the merrier? Have a look at the 110+ clients we have been working with.

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Expenses for F1 partnerships: entry level

Again, if we’re looking at ballpark figures, sponsorship deals in F1 start at $1 million. For that sum, there’s very little branding on cars. Your logo will show up in the teams’ communication materials and media, but other than that, exposure is limited. What you’re buying here is the right to call yourself a Formula 1 sponsor and the opportunity to use the team’s fame, image, name, and logo in your marketing. Also, some of the most prestigious teams might want a higher chip to sit at their table, especially for very crowded business sectors.

Upper tiers of Formula 1 partnerships

Highly impactful sponsorships, with good visibility and a full array of benefits, might kick off at $5M, with main sponsorship and title sponsorship hitting tens of millions of euros per year.

Tier one deals might reach the €20-50M range, as is the case with title sponsorships for top teams like Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes.

Just to provide some examples of top Formula 1 sponsorship costs, the Cognizant–Aston Martin deal is rumored to be worth around $35M per year, not far from the $42M per year of the Petronas-Mercedes partnership. Always according to Sportspro media, the Oracle–Red Bull Racing deal is in the $300M realm for 5 years, while the Bybit deal sits in the $50M per year tier.

From a purely economic perspective, then, sponsoring a team, a driver, a race, or a series are highly different, but it must be noted that there are further distinctions and that not everything is cut and dried. Sure, generally speaking, sponsoring the whole F1 championship will cost you more than, say, sponsoring a driver, but that might not be the case if the driver is Lewis Hamilton and you are becoming a regional F1 sponsor for a very specific and niche industry.

Again, it’s hard to say just how much Formula 1 sponsorship costs. As usual, it depends on the marketing benefits, on the brands’ objectives and activation plans, on the target market, and, finally, on the performance of the team. What’s more important, though, is how much value brands and companies are getting from these F1 sponsorship costs. And if we take a look at the list below, there are plenty of reasons to believe the ROIs are pretty high…

How to sponsor Formula 1

As mentioned above, opportunities in the circus are aplenty. From smaller deals to $70+ million contracts, Formula 1 partnerships are tailor-made around any brand’s needs, mission, vision, and purpose.

This incredible array of possibilities represents both a threat and an opportunity, of course. While bespoke F1 sponsorship packages are sure to meet the needs of any marketing project, newcomers or even experienced companies might get lost in such a diverse scenario. Where do you start from? How do you know if there’s a better chance or better deal with another team you didn’t know of? What kind of marketing rights should you want in your contract? How to liaise gracefully and efficiently with such a high-paced, complex sport?

RTR Sports has provided consultancy to brands and firms wishing to enjoy the success and the glamour that comes with Formula 1 sponsorship since 1995. We specialize exclusively in motor racing deal making, whether it’s F1, MotoGP sponsorship or Formula E sponsorship. If your business is interested in Formula 1 deals, contact RTR Sports today and get one step closer to the racing track.