Are you willing to sponsor?
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted December 7, 2014 | In Formula1, MotoGP, Sport News, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
Ex-Toro Rosso Formula One driver Jean-Eric Vergne will race in this weekend’s third round of the Formula E World Championship at the Punta del Este street circuit in Uruguay. The second seat in the team has been occupied by a different driver at every round of the season so far. Charles Pic drove for the team in China, with Matthew Brabham taking the seat last time out in Malaysia.
“It’s not often that you get to race at this time of the year,” Vergne said. “I am really looking forward to this opportunity, especially given its location in a place like Punta del Este. Although I have no experience in this new series, I am excited about the prospect of racing in Formula E, and racing for such a prestigious team as Andretti. (Discover Formula E Agency)
“As always, the main objective of the weekend is to stay out front and finish the year on a high note. The weekend will be a little like a journey into the unknown, but it is a journey that I am thoroughly looking forward to.”
“We’re really happy to put JEV (Jean-Éric Vergne) in the car for Punta del Este,” said Michael Andretti, team principal, “He has great talent and we think he’ll pair well with our team for competitive results. I also think having interest and participation from respected F1 drivers shows great strength and the true potential for Formula E as a series and World Championship.”
Vergne raced for Toro Rosso this year, but confirmed last month via Twitter that he would not be driving for the team next year alongside Max Verstappen. He finished 13th in the drivers’ championship this year with 22 points compared to team-mate Kvyat’s 8. The Frenchman had a best finish of 6th place in the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix and the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix. Vergne has been linked to the third driver position at Williams Martini Racing as opposed to securing a race seat for next season. Formula E may be an alternative choice for a permanent seat.
Former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi currently leads the Formula E standings after finishing in the top 2 in the first 2 races of the season. Briton Sam Bird lies 2nd ahead of Franck Montagny, Nicolas Prost, Karun Chandhok and Jerome D’Ambrosio, who are all tied for 3rd. Vergne will be the 11th ex-Formula One driver on the grid out of 20 total drivers.
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
A graduate in Public, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bologna, he has always been passionate about marketing, design and sport.
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Read MoreIn an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
When first approaching a motorsport sponsorship project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Motorsport is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
Motorsport is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A motorsport sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which racing series, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the real heart of motorsport sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a motorsport marketing project, you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase online, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
We have been involved in motorsport sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
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