In November 2025 George Kurtz, founder and CEO of CrowdStrike, became a shareholder in the Mercedes Formula 1 team, taking a stake from Toto Wolff’s holding. Six years earlier his company had joined the team as a technical sponsor; today CrowdStrike is listed among the team’s Principal Partners. It is perhaps the clearest example of how close the relationship between Formula 1 and cybersecurity companies has become in just a few years.
In 2026 many teams have a cybersecurity partner: CrowdStrike with Mercedes, Bitdefender with Ferrari, 1Password with Red Bull, Keeper Security with Williams, Arctic Wolf with Alpine. This is not a fad. A Formula 1 team is a technology company that produces and moves huge amounts of data around the world, and that data is extremely valuable. For a cybersecurity brand, protecting it in front of Formula 1’s global audience is the most convincing proof it can offer.
Who are the F1 cybersecurity sponsors
- CrowdStrike and Mercedes. The partnership began in 2019. Today CrowdStrike is among the team’s Principal Partners, and since November 2025 its founder has also been one of the team’s shareholders.
- Bitdefender and Ferrari. The Romanian company arrived at Maranello in 2022, replacing Kaspersky, and in October 2025 it renewed and expanded the deal, with more visibility on the car.
- 1Password and Red Bull. Since 2025 it has been the team’s exclusive cybersecurity partner, with its brand even on the steering wheel screen.
- Keeper Security and Williams. Official partner since 2024, it is in its third season in 2026 and has built a global campaign with Alex Albon.
- Arctic Wolf and Alpine. It joined in 2025, at the same time as Red Bull announced 1Password.
Other names have shaped this story in the past. Kaspersky was Ferrari’s partner for more than ten years, until 2022, when the deal was ended after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Darktrace worked with McLaren from 2020, bringing artificial intelligence into the team’s cyber defense.
Why an F1 team needs protection
A Formula 1 team lives on data. During a race weekend hundreds of sensors send information from the car to the garage and from the garage to the factory, where engineers and simulators work in real time. Add to that car designs, wind tunnel data, strategies, contracts and driver information. It is an asset worth billions, as the value of Formula 1 teams shows, and over the season it travels from one continent to another more than twenty times.
The threats are the same as for any large company: phishing, credential theft, ransomware. A single email opened at the wrong moment can bring a system down. That is why many of these partnerships are more than sponsorship deals: the companies actually supply their tools, which the team uses every day at the factory and at the track.
Why security companies choose Formula 1
From the point of view of a cybersecurity vendor, Formula 1 offers three rare advantages.
- The proving ground. Protecting a team that works at extreme speed, with data that cannot stop for a second, is a concrete demonstration of product quality. And it is a story customers understand immediately.
- The right audience. Formula 1 is followed by executives and decision-makers worldwide, exactly the people who choose their companies’ security suppliers. And paddock hospitality makes it possible to meet them in person.
- Reputation. Being associated with an environment where precision and reliability are everything helps build trust, which is the core value of a security company.
It is the same reason Formula 1 attracts so many technology companies, as we explain in our guide to motorsport sponsorship for tech and SaaS brands.
What a deal like this is worth
Deal figures are almost never disclosed, and press estimates should be treated with caution. What can be said is that the structure matters as much as the price: many of these partnerships combine money and services, meaning part of the value is the technology supplied to the team. For a company considering entering Formula 1, it is a model worth knowing: a sponsor does not always pay with a check alone.
For a full picture of the brands involved in the championship, see our list of Formula 1 partners in 2026. And anyone thinking about Formula 1 sponsorship in the cybersecurity sector should know that spots with the top teams are few and almost all taken: the best opportunities are often with midfield teams, or in the categories that lead to Formula 1.
Frequently asked questions about F1 cybersecurity sponsors
Which cybersecurity companies sponsor Formula 1 in 2026?
Among the main ones: CrowdStrike with Mercedes, Bitdefender with Ferrari, 1Password with Red Bull, Keeper Security with Williams and Arctic Wolf with Alpine.
Since when has CrowdStrike sponsored Mercedes?
Since 2019. In November 2025 George Kurtz, founder of CrowdStrike, personally acquired 15% of the company through which Toto Wolff holds a third of the team. Today CrowdStrike is among Mercedes’ Principal Partners.
Who is Ferrari's cybersecurity partner?
Bitdefender, since 2022, when it replaced Kaspersky. In October 2025 the deal was renewed and expanded.
Does Darktrace sponsor McLaren?
It does not appear among McLaren’s current partners. Darktrace was a team partner from 2020, with a 2021 renewal that also extended to IndyCar, bringing artificial intelligence into the team’s cyber protection.
Why do F1 teams need cybersecurity?
Because they handle huge amounts of highly valuable data, from telemetry to car designs, and constantly transfer it between track and factory. They face the same threats as any large company, such as phishing and ransomware.
Why do cybersecurity companies sponsor Formula 1?
Because Formula 1 is a credible proving ground for their products, reaches executives and decision-makers worldwide and associates the brand with precision and reliability, core values for anyone selling security.
