Formula 1 is hot on the tail of the big dog of professional sports marketing, the NFL, and cleared $2.04 billion in sponsorship revenue in 2024.
SponsorUnited, which tracks sponsorship and advertising takes across sports, had F1 and its teams behind only the NFL at $2.5 billion in total sponsorship revenue.
The total advertising spend for F1 in 2025 is on course to exceed $2.5 billion, according to Ampere Analysis.
But major U.S. sponsors such as American Express and IBM still are flowing in with the circuit catapulting in popularity off the success of Netflix series “Drive to Survive” while thriving under the control of Liberty Media.
F1 tops the NBA, MLB and NHL and its racing teams each accounted for more than $6 million, according to the report, which breaks down the airbox and sidepod ad placement cost at more than $5 million for the most popular drivers on the circuit.
Tops among individual sponsor agreements with F1 is the 10-year, $1 billion pact with luxury conglomerate LVMH, which holds a portfolio anchored by TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton and Hennessy.
The largest sponsor for any F1 team is the Williams contract with Australian software corporation Atlassian valued at a reported $25 million to $30 million per year.
On the NFL side, the most significant singular sponsorship commitment is with Pepsi. That contract is worth a reported $2 billion over 10 years for exclusive rights at all NFL events and use of the league’s trademark in advertising.
With F1, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren are the highest earners in the sponsorship category.
Car and driver technology accounts for nearly $500 million in partner income for the 10 teams, according to the report.
–Field Level Media
