In motorsport the visibility of a sponsorship is built today on three levels: broadcast (television and streaming), digital (social media, video, official content) and physical presence (the circuit and hospitality). Formula 1’s numbers for 2025: 827 million fans, 1.83 billion cumulative viewers and 6.7 million attendances at circuits, a record.

Updated October 2026.

From 2026, in the United States, Formula 1 no longer goes through a traditional television channel: all sessions, from practice to the race, are on Apple TV, with some races and all practice sessions free in the app. For those who sponsor, it does not mean the logo on the car is worth less: it means the place where it is seen has changed, and with it the way to measure it. Here you will find the numbers that matter, the three levels on which visibility is played and how to tell whether a sponsorship is working.

The numbers for 2025

Formula 1 estimates its fans worldwide at 827 million, 12% more than the previous year and 63% more than in 2018. According to Nielsen the 2025 season reached 1.83 billion cumulative viewers, 6.8% more than the year before, with an audience of about 70 million for each race weekend. On the live side, the season closed with a record 6.7 million attendances at Grands Prix, against 6.5 million in 2024.

There is also a figure that concerns those who invest directly: since 2020 the number of commercial partners of the championship has almost tripled, from 12 to 31. More brands means more noise: visibility is no longer scarce, it is contested.

Three levels of visibility

• Broadcast. Television and streaming bring the brand to a huge audience, but show it for seconds and in shots you do not control: what counts is where the logo sits on the car, the race suit, the helmet. A strong colour helps you get recognised even in a fast shot: it is what BWT did with pink, as told in BWT in Formula 1.
• Digital. Social media, video and official content multiply the chances of seeing a brand and let you tell its story: it is where an award such as the DHL Fastest Lap Award or a collaboration on content becomes material to share. The examples, with sources, are in brand activation in motorsport.
• Physical presence. The circuit is where a company meets customers, partners and employees: hospitality, meetings with drivers, experiences. In MotoGP the formula is the VIP Village, explained in what is the MotoGP VIP Village.

How digital visibility is measured

Reaching many people is not the same as being remembered. Impressions, views and the number of followers tell how many times a brand passed before someone’s eyes: they are the starting point, not the result. To understand whether a sponsorship is working you need to pair these numbers with at least one brand measure (how many people recognise the sponsor or associate it with the team) and one commercial measure (leads, negotiations, sales). The numbers that count are those chosen before signing, as we also explain for activation.

What changes for those who sponsor

With an audience this wide and so many brands on the grid, the difference is not made by the logo but by the idea: a colour, an award, a cause, a product that the brand can own in the world of that team. Whoever wants to understand who is on the grid today will find the deals in the analysis of the sponsors of the F1 teams in 2026, while for budget thresholds there is the guide to the cost of Formula 1 sponsorship.

Sources: Formula 1, 2025 in numbers; Formula 1, the record-breaking 2025 season; Black Book Motorsport, F1 2025 in numbers; GrandPrix247, the 2025 season review; Broadcast, the largest audience in five years; ScuderiaFans, 1.83 billion viewers; Sports Illustrated, F1 and Apple in the United States; TechRadar, Apple TV and F1.