Preseason Report: New Branding Collaborations in 2025
With the 2025 Formula One season dawning on us in a few weeks, it’s important to note all of the new collaborations and sponsorships that occurred during over the summer break. These include new team sponsors, personal driver sponsors, and even deals that affect the entirety of the sport. With all of these new changes, the hope is that F1 and its teams will become more marketable and accessible to a larger audience, and this upcoming season holds a massive amount of new viewers and possible revenue.
Perhaps the most impactful new sponsorship is that of Williams Racing, now partnered with the Atlassian software company to become Atlassian Williams Racing after adding Little Rock’s own Stephens, Inc. as a sponsor in 2024. The new sponsor represents a new era of Williams, as James Vowles attempts to bring the team back to the champion it was years ago. According to Atlassian’s website, the aim of the partnership is to help Williams to “implement that System of Work through [their] portfolio and cloud platform to unleash a new winning era.” Atlassian Williams Racing is also sponsored by Built for Athletes, the new Official Luggage Supplier of the team. Hopes for the 2025 season are high at the Grove, and the addition of Carlos Sainz to the Williams family is also cause for new expectations this year. Watch out for both Alex Albon and Sainz on the track this year, as the duo could score some serious points and return Williams to the upper midfield in the Constructor’s Championship.
Team Atlassian Williams Racing ready to dominate. Photo courtesy of F1.
Another popular team partnership right now is one of Scuderia Ferrari and HP, but not because Ferrari needs the support; instead the discussion on the internet is that of the HP logo ruining the look of the cars, race suits, and overall iconic simplicity of the Italian brand. Fans are complaining about the garish look of the blue logo on the red suits, as well as their exaggerated size and placement compared to the Ferrari logos. Photos are circulating social media imagining the logo in Ferrari’s “racing red” to match the rest of the car, or even erasing the car and leaving the numerous HP logos behind to float in empty space. Nevertheless, Ferrari seems to have a promising season ahead of them after signing HP and 7 time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton on a multi-year contract. The Constructor’s Championship is a major possibility for Ferrari in 2025, and winning would be the first WCC Ferrari has won since 2008, signaling a major milestone in the team’s history.
MoneyGram Haas F1 team is another team that has signed a new partnership, theirs with CommScope, an American company with a $10 billion value. CEO of CommScope Chuck Treadway describes Commscope’s role as “demonstrating our leadership in high-performance networks and redefining connectivity on a global stage to help winning teams.” MoneyGram Haas is another F1 team that has consistently been in the midfield during the WCC title fight in past seasons, failing to secure a Constructor’s title since their founding in 2016. However, with a brand new lineup consisting of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, their fortunes for the 2025 season may change. The new sponsor of CommScope could tremendously aid MoneyGram Haas’ performances this year, but of course all will be revealed during season testing later this week.
The last new team partnership is between Mercedes Petronas-AMG F1 Team and Adidas following Lewis Hamilton’s departure from the team at the end of the 2024 season. This partnership replaces past sponsors Tommy Hilfiger and Puma, and accordingly the team’s style and branding has been through a renaissance. As George Russell returns to the lineup with new driver and 2022 F2 champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli, reserve and testing driver Valtteri Bottas also returns to Mercedes after losing his seat at the end of the 2021 season. With new and old aspects converging to predict an interesting season for the team, the new partnership with Adidas seems to be beneficial in assuring success and driver happiness both on track and in the paddock.
#63 and #12 ready to dominate the track with the help of Adidas. Photo courtesy of Mercedes AMG-Petronas F1 Team.
Recent driver partnerships have also been announced recently: Lewis Hamilton with a new Lululemon collaboration and Charles Leclerc with jewelry company APM Monaco and Eight Sleep company for sleep fitness. Hamilton’s new collaboration is extremely recent and many fans are expectant of him in his new role as Brand Ambassador for the active wear company. Hamilton praises the brand’s products and performance level, acting as the first motorsport Brand Ambassador for the company. The news comes less than a month before the first race of the season in Melbourne, and the announcement fosters even more excitement for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Leclerc announces his own exciting partnerships with two different companies that both display the driver’s heritage and image well. As the only Monegasque driver on the grid, it’s no surprise that Leclerc would sign a collaboration with the Monaco-based jewelry company, and the video he posted on social media pays homage to his history of racing and living there. As clips of his wins on that special track play in the background, it is revealed that he is the brand’s newest ambassador. Leclerc has also signed a partnership with Eight Sleep, promoting athletic recovery and showing viewers the physical challenges of being a motorsports driver. Overall, each driver’s partnerships are very on brand and correspond to their identities, and the continued promotion of these products will be very interesting to see.
Lastly, the world of F1 has many new sponsors in the 2025 season, as more money pours into the sport on behalf of Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton/Moët Hennessy, and Allwyn. Tag Heuer is returning as the official timekeeper of F1, replacing Rolex in its current role as well as becoming the first title partner of the Monaco Grand Prix in May. Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy are also partnering with F1 to become the Global Partner for 2025. The luxury brands plan to promote themselves at each race, act as title partner for the first race, and offer their champagne for the podium. This partner is the parent company of Tag Heuer, and the deals are connected by a 10 year contract. Allwyn has also signed a multi-year deal with the sport to become an Official Partner, a move that F1 describes as “an opportunity to introduce each brand’s audience to one another, driving growth for both businesses in new markets.” Allwyn wants to promote responsible gaming and lottery awareness through their exposure, in addition to their upcoming partnership with the McLaren F1 team.
Time is ticking as the first race of the season approaches. Photo courtesy of F1.
The 2025 season invites many new sponsors, investors, and contributors into the world of F1, and as the season ramps up, the excitement only builds. As always, thanks for reading.
Lights out and away we go,
Lucy Coon xx
