Sponsorship lessons from Formula 1
Racing drivers, whether you’re cutting your teeth at club level or edging toward pro status, securing — and maximising — sponsorships is as crucial as nailing that perfect lap.
The recent Hintsa Performance “Hidden Value of F1” report lays out how top brands are using Formula 1 partnerships, not just for logos on cars, but to supercharge talent, teams, leadership and culture.
These are all lessons you can adapt to pitch yourself to sponsors and deliver value in return
1. Sell the story
Insight: “Formula 1 is part of the narrative: who we are, what we value, and how we perform under pressure”
Your takeaway:
Employer-branding tool: Offer sponsors bespoke “driver-for-a-day” content—behind-the-scenes videos showing how their team’s values align with your performance mindset.
Talent pipeline: If a brand wants to recruit young go-getters, promise to feature their graduate-recruitment message on your car livery and social channels, tying their brand to your on-track activity.
Let the brand become part of your story: Speak at employee events, join them for tradeshows, do a social media takeover, or find another way to weave your story with theirs.
2. Turn Track Days into Team-Building Moments
“We use access to the paddock and Paddock Club as a way to recognise and reward engaged employees… a thoughtful gesture for those who show curiosity and commitment.”
—Kristian Teär, CEO of Bang & Olufsen
Your takeaway:
Paddock experience: Host a “Pit-stop challenge” at a local kart circuit or club track for a sponsor’s top performers. Offer helmet time, debriefs, and branded giveaways.
Recognition tokens: Promise branded “Best-Lap” trophies and post-event analytics to showcase how the sponsor’s team crushed the challenge, mirroring the real-world reward dynamics of race teams.
Get close to the action: Help a brand reward employees through behind-the-scenes access to a race weekend. Try to think beyond hospitality with goodie bags, track walks, and
3. Craft a programme for supporters
“Like in F1, our success relies on teams working together. This inspired our Perform as One programme… We’re also building an internal ‘fanbase’ to ensure all 40,000+ associates feel connected to the partnership.”
—Stephanie Richards, Ecolab
Your takeaway:
Cross-functional engagement: Offer quarterly “ride-along” slots or garage tours for employees from marketing, R&D, or HR. This could be packaged as a milestone reward for hitting internal targets.
Digital fan-club: Create a private online group (Slack/Teams) where employee-ambassadors get early access to your race recaps, Q&A sessions and branded merch drops. This can boost employee moral by giving people something to collectively cheer for.
4. Leadership development activities
“It’s been a valuable tool for leadership development… I’ve taken my team to races and factory visits to help them understand what F1’s performance culture… These external benchmarks help us evolve our own culture and standards.”
—Kristian Teär, Bang & Olufsen
Your takeaway:
Lunch-and-learns: Pitch a half-day masterclass on “Winning Under Pressure,” where you break down your race-week routine — data analysis, physical prep, mental drills — and draw parallels to corporate decision-making.
Behind the scenes content: Film a short “behind the wheel” VR or 360° video of you preparing for a race and offer it as an exclusive digital asset to the sponsor’s leadership team for their off-site retreats.
5. Inspire the Next Generation (and Extend Brand Reach)
“The ambition and dedication… resonates deeply… it supports our ability to reach new, younger audiences and showcase technology-led change…”
—Bob Wilt, Maaden
Your takeaway:
STEM outreach: Co-host a school workshop on the physics of racecraft, showing how engineering and science can improve lap times. Brands get community-impact credentials and lifelong brand affinity.
Scholarship pitch: Propose an event at a local kart track with you as the program ambassador. It’s a tangible commitment to youth development and aligns perfectly with the sponsor’s broader mission.
Talent development: Work with younger people within the organisation to help develop their leadership and engineering skills through talks, content, and race-day experiences.
You might still offer stickers and hospitality, but it’s the way you offer it that will make you stand out. Consider how your offering will impact the business. You can’t expect the business to do the work to figure out how they can use your hospitality / car / social media. Do your research on the brand then spell it out for them.