More ABBA in F1, please!
A deep-dive into Formula 1 partnerships that I would love to see.
One of my favourite facts about Formula 1 is that the touring drummer of ABBA, Slim Borgudd, was also a Formula 1 racing driver for a time, and he raced with the ABBA logo on his car. This made me think about other sponsorships and partnerships I would love to see in F1 or those I think could be good for the sport. So, let’s get into it…
LVMH (Extended edition)
My first choices aren’t necessarily ones that would be the most accessible for everyday fans (I will get to that part later). However, it is well-known that Formula 1 has many wealthy spectators, and I think their new sponsorship deal with LVMH could be used to great advantage.
Although the new deal is primarily with select LVMH maisons such as Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy and TAG Heuer, I think they should explore more partnership options with other maisons.
~ Tiffany & Co.
I’m not sure a Tiffany & Co. ‘pop-up’ style activation would work at a track in general. For this partnership, I’m picturing a Tiffany-themed ‘beach club’ in the paddock and a stand where you can get personalised necklaces or bracelets. Imagine sun loungers and parasols in Tiffany blue, endless cocktails and champagne, a new Tiffany to add to the collection and a prime view of the race track. Again, definitely not something that I, or the everyday F1 fan, could afford or be a part of, but I think it would work well as a one-off paddock club-style experience.
~ Sephora / Benefit Cosmetics
In December, Forbes reported that women now comprise 41% of the total F1 fan base. I don’t know about you, but I feel like F1 is severely underutilising the potential of this sector. As highlighted by Toni Cowan-Brown in one of her latest articles, there are even brands outside of F1 that are utilising the F1 fan base.
I would love to see an activation at the F1 Grands Prix similar to that of the e.l.f. Cosmetics ‘Lip Oil Change’ at the Indy 500 last year. The ‘Lip Oil Change’ provided an area for fans to have an interactive experience with a ‘glow-up’ provided by their pit crew of makeup artists, a live DJ, exclusive merchandise and a display of the history of women in motorsport. This activation was so successful that it attracted 350,000 attendees – that is more than the entire attendance at the Monza GP in 2024, which had 335,000 spectators overall!
As brands like Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics are owned by LVMH, F1 has an easy-access gateway into this type of activation.
I think this could also encourage female F1 fans to attend races in person by making them feel more welcome at race tracks. There have been many stories from female fans over the years where they have not felt welcome or comfortable, or even safe at Grands Prix, and this also needs to be a big focus for F1 and its track locations.
Environmental efforts
~ Ecosia
If we can have Google as a sponsor with McLaren, surely we can make room for another search engine in F1? I think it is highly unlikely to ever happen, but I would love to see an Ecosia sponsorship. On the surface, it doesn’t make sense, F1 is this fossil fuel guzzling sport, while Ecosia is a search engine that uses its revenue to plant trees when you search. But this contrast is why I think it would be such a great partnership! Ecosia has a goal of combating climate change and protecting biodiversity, and I think this is something that F1 wants to and should promote moving forward. Also, could you imagine how cute a one-off Ecosia livery could be!
~ Carbon Offsetting Companies
I know F1 has made huge strides in reducing its environmental impact, but let’s be honest here. When you have travelling fans, travelling team members, travelling cargo and a fuel-focused sport, it is extremely hard to achieve an eco-friendly outcome. That is why I think it could be great to see F1 teams and/or drivers pair with carbon offsetting companies. If Taylor Swift can make people angry by her flight usage on the Eras Tour, imagine what people would say if they saw the flight usage of F1 drivers, especially those with private jets! Obviously, most of their travel is required for their work and having private jets can make logistics and security a much easier process. Also, a lot of carbon offsetting can actually be greenwashing once you delve into it, so a lot of research and thought would have to go into a partnership like this. However, I still think it could be a good idea overall, at the very least as a conversation starter about making F1 a more eco-friendly sport.
~ Local Charities / Legacy Projects
If you haven’t heard of Extreme E, now rebranded to Extreme H, then you really need to catch up! Extreme E was an electric car rally series that raced in remote locations all over the world and is currently being reformed into Extreme H, where it will have a similar premise while using hydrogen-powered cars instead. While, in true rally style, the racing was always thrilling and exciting to watch, one of my favourite things about Extreme E was the legacy projects that they carried out in each of their race locations.
For example, Extreme E raced in Punta Del Este in Uruguay in 2022, and while they were there, they partnered with the Organisation for Cetacean Conservation (OCC), whose main aim is to protect Uruguay’s marine ecosystems and their inhabitants. This partnership with Extreme E has contributed towards improving their whale photo-ID catalogue and uploading it to open data platforms. Extreme E have also assisted the organisation with school education and immersive exhibitions, which bring more awareness and attention to the protection of the marine ecosystems in Uruguay.
Not only does Extreme E partner with charities and organisations, it also sends its drivers to these places to learn about the issues themselves and how the legacy projects will help. While F1 may not be able to get all 20 of its drivers involved in something like this with their already crammed schedules, the paddock has thousands of people made up of team personnel, media, marshals, reserve drivers and influencers/celebs, etc. that they could send instead. I would love to see someone like Seb Vettel involved in a project like this, too, as he already tries to bring these types of initiatives to the paddock, and he has a lot of influence within the sport.
I could probably keep adding to this list, but I will leave it there for now!
Overall, I think I would just love to see Formula 1 / Formula 1 Management embrace their female fan base and think more consciously about the future and their impact on the world.
I also think that these things could improve the reputation of F1 outside of its fan base too, as most people I know who don’t care about F1 still think of it as the fuel-guzzling, man’s world sport that doesn’t care about anything other than ~ caveman voice ~ ‘make. car. fast’. As much as the sport still has a long way to go, I do not think it is still the sport that it once was, and some people within it should maybe realise that sooner rather than later.
Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next time :)
F1 definitely needs to up its sponsorships in these sections and realize that this sport is not just for men and that their fanbase is changing. F1 could also help remove the idea that brands like Sephora are not only for women. People should expect F1 to better address and acknowledge climate change as well.
First thing I thought of was the ELF pop up at the 2024 500, it was super popular. My girlfriend snagged a nice free hat from there along with some makeup samples