Much more than a title sponsorship, the partnership agreement between the Scuderia Ferrari and HP is yet another piece of a marketing puzzle that the Cavallino has been carefully and precisely building for quite some time. The technology giant-HP is the world’s second-largest producer of personal computers-will appear on the Maranello car from the Miami Grand Prix and will remain as title sponsor of the Scuderia for at least two years, at market figures that have not been disclosed but are certainly multimillion dollars. Also involved in the deal, unsurprisingly, are the Esport Team and the car driven by Maya Weug in the F1 Academy-two communications assets that the Palo Alto-based company did not want to miss.

The Title Sponsorship

The Scuderia had not had a title sponsor since Mission Winnow, the marketing and communications initiative put in place by longtime partner Philip Morris that circumvented-albeit partially- Tobacco’s sponsorship regulations. Thanks to the current agreement, Ferrari will run under the name Scuderia Ferrari HP, a name that has not failed to arouse the curiosity, interest and praise of several online communities already, quick to point out that “HP,” as well as an acronym for “Hewlett-Packard,” is more famous in the racing world as an abbreviation for Horse Power, a unit of measurement of the performance of an engine.

The Red and the Blue

For some time already, Ferrari had announced its intention to race in Miami with a new blue livery, even showing a preview of the beautiful blue suits created for the occasion for LeClerc, Sainz and the entire team. Light blue, we read in some press notes circulated in recent days, was one of the favorite colors of Enzo Ferrari (to tell the truth, the Drake has been given some of the most heterogeneous color preferences in the last 30 years to justify more or less any marketing move), as well as a historical color of the Scuderia that in the 1960s raced with Surtees, Amon and Bandini.

Without wishing to err on the side of malice, however, the blue color chosen for Miami takes on special significance in the aftermath of the announcement of the partnership between Ferrari and HP, whose logo is indeed blue. In short, on the Florida track the two Maranello cars will for the first time sport the large HP logo on a blue livery that will become an “instant classic” for the world of sports marketing and an unmissable PR and photo opportunity.

Innovation, sustainability and the importance of partnership in Formula 1

Innovation, sustainability, passion and research are the words that chase each other in the press releases launching the partnership, as is only right and natural. In a very high-tech world like Formula 1, a computer manufacturer is perfectly positioned and represented. Likely, although not the focus of the agreement, HP will also become an important ally of Maranello on the whole front of technical equipment, software development and innovation in general. Sustainability-a theme that is very dear to both technology and automotive and on which both industries are receiving strong pressure-is also a key to this sponsorship, it says.

However, and wanting to be clear, it is impossible not to put among the “reasons why” of this agreement also the extraordinary centrality of Formula 1 in the arena of modern marketing and global popularity. The circus is for all intents and purposes an extraordinary communication platform-like the Olympics and very few other properties in the world-to which brands cannot afford not to associate. In this, Ferrari is certainly and always has been the brightest jewel in the crown, if not on the track then at least at the marketing level.

Lewis HP

In conclusion, the Hamilton element should not be left out of the equation. Announced alongside Charles LeClerc from next season, the Briton is not simply one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1, but also one of the athletes with the most following in the world. His signature, which has skyrocketed the Cavallino’s stock price, has marketing repercussions even more than sporting ones, thanks in part to the driver’s determined activism on many of the most hotly debated causes of recent years. Hamilton will undoubtedly be the center of attention, obviously pulling with him the entire Ferrari world around him, sponsors included. Again, really, not an element to be underestimated.