How Taylor Swift has changed Formula 1 is just one of the stories covered in this week’s Business of Motorsport. I also have news on where race drivers stand in the list of the 50 most marketable athletes, the costs of putting on the Grand Prix of Arlington and the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnership news and global race team updates.
Motorsport Industry News
Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton has been named motorsport’s most marketable athlete for 2024, marking his 12th appearance atop the motorsport rankings in SportsPro’s annual 50 Most Marketable (50MM) athletes list. Ranked 11th overall, Hamilton slipped from seventh in 2023, falling out of the top ten for the first time since 2021. Despite the drop, the Briton remains a marketing powerhouse, solidifying major endorsement deals with Dior and CFI this year. His move to Ferrari in 2025 is also generating buzz in the motorsport world.
Joining Hamilton in the rankings are Max Verstappen, who is second among motorsport athletes and 31st overall, and Charles Leclerc, who comes in 33rd overall. Verstappen’s appeal is bolstered by partnerships with brands tied to his home country and personal interests, while Leclerc has attracted deals with Puma, Peroni, and Bang & Olufsen. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri round out the top five motorsport athletes in the list, emphasizing the growing marketing appeal of motorsport talent. Several other competitors, including F1 Academy’s Bianca Bustamante and Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman, also made the extended list of 150 athletes.
BlackBook Motorsport has more details. You can see the complete list here.
General Motors brand Cadillac is allegedly nearing an acquisition of Renault’s 2026 Formula 1 engine information to aid its own project, according to a report. According to reporter Joe Saward, Cadillac is allegedly trying to acquire the intellectual property attached to Renault’s 2026 F1 engine development. The reason Cadillac is interested in acquiring such information as it harbors plans to develop an F1 power unit by 2028.
The Athletic explains how the Taylor Swift concert at the 2015 Unites States Grand Prix, at which Swift played a concert on the Saturday night after qualifying, proved to be critical for the future of the United States Grand Prix, a race that has since been the cornerstone of F1’s rapid American growth.
“It was a big-dollar commitment at the time, and it paid off,” COTA chairman Bobby Epstein told The Athletic. “We’re grateful to Taylor for taking the chance.”
Here is the original article along with some follow-ups on the “Swift Effect” and Formula 1 racing.
- How Taylor Swift’s F1 concert helped save the United States Grand Prix (The Athletic)
- How a Taylor Swift Concert Created a Billion-Dollar F1 Blueprint (Business of Speed)
- How stars like Taylor Swift and Eminem ended up at the F1 race in Austin (Autosport)
The dramatic rise of Franco Colapinto could lead to the return of a race in Argentina, Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has hinted. “I was there the last time that everyone was in Buenos Aires to race in 1997 (sic), it is a sign of not being a great age, but that’s life,” he said at an event at the United States Grand Prix celebrating the new Globant deal. “I really hope that all this, all you are doing for your country and also what Franco is doing, it is great for your country and hopefully it will give your country, once again, hopefully sooner rather than later the possibility for South America to host not only Mexico – in Central America – Sao Paulo in Brazil…why not?”
Read more at Autosport.
General Motorsport Industry News
IndyCar reportedly expects its new street race around the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium to cost less than $50M to be successful, but the series will be splitting the expense with the NFL team and the Rangers. When NASCAR debuted its first domestic street race in 2022 in Chicago, it revealed plans to spend roughly $50M on the event that year, though subsequent years were expected to be less since some of the equipment would not have to be purchased again. Sports Business Journal has the full details.
The new president of French motorsport, Pierre Gosselin, is prioritizing the return of the French Grand Prix and the World Rally Championship to France. Despite challenges such as financial constraints and a lack of government support, Gosselin remains optimistic about reviving France’s iconic motorsport events reports Devdiscourse.
In their special report “Z Factor”, PRI explains how the next generation has arrived and how the motorsport industry can adapt to them.
If you want to understand how to relate to Generation Z, there’s a quick answer. “They want to know that it’s real. They want to know what’s true. It needs to be believable,” said Brandon Scarpelli, the founder and CEO of The BMS Brand, a social media management, content creation, and advertising firm based in Austin, Texas, that specializes in the automotive and motorsports industry.”
Read more here.
SuperMotocross is through its second season. The partnership between the traditional outdoor Motocross series and the stadium-centric Supercross series is a fascinating look at how media rights landscape and the timing of the pandemic led to not just the two coming together, but the formation of the SuperMotocross Finals playoff format. In a wide-ranging exclusive at Forbes, executives give an inside look at how it all came together. You can read the feature here.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- A2RL announces Season 2 dates and upgraded autonomous race car (PMW)
- How motorsport’s ‘Olympics’ is succeeding in a crucial mission (Autosport)
- The day F1 melted: Why the ill-fated Dallas Grand Prix left a searing impression (The Athletic)
- F1 x NCAA Football: a Cultural Convergence (Business of Speed)
- Last-minute letter flips script in Western Springs Speedway saga (SpeedCafe)
- World Supercross Championship goes FTA globally with DAZN (BlackBook Motorsport)
- FIA to identify game developers for Olympic Esports partnership (Esports Insider)
- Stellantis Is Selling Off Its Massive Arizona Proving Grounds (The Drive)
- Why supercar makers want more women on track (Torque Cafe)
- Can Saudi Aramco be stopped? (Sports Politika)
- Private Equity Sports Market: Insights on the Current Ecosystem (Profluence Sports)
- Former Supercars TV boss David Tunnicliffe lands new gig (SpeedCafe)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
The Waste2Race Le Mans Prototype is a hydrogen-powered race car fueled by sewage and this is just one of the items featured in this week’s edition of the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. I also have the impressive results of Mercedes F1’s HVO100 bio-fuel-powered European season, COTA’s partnership with an environmental group and the DTM ditching fossil fuel. All this plus much more!
The Numbers
The United States Grand Prix, part of the wild sports weekend in Austin, drew 1.3 million viewers on ABC on Sunday, up from 1.2 million last year according to Front Office Sports but it was not enough to beat NASCAR. NASCAR’s Las Vegas playoff round beat Formula One’s United States Grand Prix in a rare competing slot on US television last weekend.
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
I have mentioned this before in past editions of the Business of Motorsport but the question bears asking. Is motorsport facing a monopoly problem?
“The concerns raised in both NASCAR and Formula 1 underscore a growing need for greater transparency and fairness in motorsport governance. While stability and financial security are essential, it’s crucial to ensure a level playing field that encourages competition, innovation, and the long-term health of the sport. The outcome of Jordan’s lawsuit and the ongoing debate in Formula 1 could have far-reaching implications for the future of motorsport. It remains to be seen whether these legal challenges will lead to meaningful change or further entrench the existing power structures.”
Read more at Grid Media.
Checkered Flag reports on the case of disabled driver Carlos Tatay being denied disability insurance by the FIM because he is racing in a cross-country raid in a car. In a video posted to his social media on Wednesday, Carlos Tatay called out the FIM for refusing to cover his disability insurance following the spinal injury that ended his motorcycle racing career.
To add insult to metaphorical and literal injury, he stated the FIM denied his disability status altogether by citing an article about him competing in cross-country rallies in a side-by-side vehicle.
“The FIM only pays me if I stay on the couch,” began Tatay. “I’m not going to get an email from those shameless people at the FIM, where I sent all my documentation, my injury report from when I was in the hospital in Toledo this past July. They did a full examination and reported a handful of injuries, including one that states I have a complete spinal cord injury, which is chronic and therefore I suffer from a disability.
“We sent that documentation to the FIM so they would take responsibility for the compensation for when a rider suffers a disability. Do you know what they told me? Do you know what those disrespectful people told me?
“They said that I don’t have a disability. With it, they attached a link to a news article saying that I’m competing in rallies. But what does that have to do with anything? What kind of logic is that?”
Read more at Checkered Flag here.
McLaren has instigated a right of review request into Lando Norris’s penalty in Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix – the first step in trying to get the sanction overturned. The right of review hearing will take place at 14:30 Mexico City time on Friday, ahead of this weekend’s race in the Mexican capital, where McLaren will have to show the FIA that there was new, significant and relevant evidence that had not been available at the time of the decision. Autosport has more here.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown also wants Red Bull Formula 1 management, along with staff past and present, to “sign an affidavit” proving its front bib device hasn’t been used illegally. Speaking to the Daily Mail said “I’d like to see the senior leadership, the former chief mechanics and the current mechanics sign an affidavit stating that they have never used or have no knowledge of it being used.”
This is an odd one. Pirelli was forced to pull its one-off trophies from the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix podium at the last minute after being made aware of the similarity in design to another product. Do the trophies look like Mickey Mouse?
Motorsport Sponsorship & Partnership News
Here are the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- F1 and American Express expand partnership to include grands prix across the world (Autosport)
- Honda set for Castrol MotoGP partnership after Repsol split (Autosport)
- Duracell becomes F1’s first DRS zone sponsor in Las Vegas (Autosport)
- Google promoting Gemini AI platform through McLaren driver ads ahead of USGP (Sports Business Journal)
- Williams Racing and Kraken extend partnership into 2025 (SIG)
- Harvick partners with Rackley W.A.R. in Truck Series (RACER)
- Mattel’s Hot Wheels Zooms Into Formula 1 (F1) Global Partnership (Asia Sponsorship News)
- Nissan Formula E Team welcomes Reflo as Official Teamwear and Apparel Partner (Nissan)
- The OMP brand of Racing Force Group extends partnership with Team Penske (Racing Force Group)
- Monster Energy joins Supercars as Official Energy Drink Partner (Supercars)
- GT Sport & Michelin Extend Partnership (Daily Sportscar)
- How Red Bull Uses Sports To Sell 12 Billion Energy Drinks Each Year (Huddle Up)
- How Winston Did for NASCAR What Marlboro Did for Formula 1 (The Sports Rush)
- Marelli Announces End of Impul Title Sponsor Deal (Sportscar365)
- Jonathan Kendrick hails 2024 as an ‘incredibly successful year’ of Motorsport Sponsorship for ROKiT (Technology Today)
- Fashion, Fragrance and the Finish Line: Lando Norris’ New Cologne Campaign Has the F1 Star Ready to Win It All (Rolling Stone)
- SRO America Welcomes U.S. Expansion from Al Kamel Systems (TC America)
- Earnhardt Jr., Budweiser Set For Reunion (SpeedSport)
- How Louis Vuitton Is Taking Over Sports (Athletic Interest)
- Williams Racing and Mercado Libre celebrate speed with heritage-inspired yellow engine cover takeover (Williams F1)
- Williams expand Gulf Oil partnership to include Reviva (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Halo By Orthene & Hansen Motorsport renew partnership for 2025 (Halo)
The Business of Running a Race Team
Team & Manufacturer News
Here is a roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- Porsche Reveals Full Lineup for FIA GT World Cup (Sportscar365)
- Mercedes-AMG Sets Four-Car Macau Lineup (Sportscar365)
- Three F3 race winners set to tackle the historic Macau GP (Autosport)
- SJM Theodore PREMA Racing readies for 71st Macau Grand Prix (Theodore Racing)
- SJM VSR Theodore Racing enters FIA GT World Cup at 71st Macau GP (Theodore Racing)
- Audi to receive ‘increased budget cap’ for F1 entry in 2026 (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Kiro Race Co unveils ‘vibrant’ livery for Formula E 2024/25 (Motorsport Week)
- Vowles: Williams building from the ground up with long-term F1 plan for success (Autosport)
- How Andretti Global is preparing for an IndyCar future without Michael (RACER)
- KCMG IXO by Pinnacle Motorsport reveal driver lineup for Formula Regional World Cup at Macau (Pinnacle Motorsport)
- Nissan and Jaguar handed testing ban for cost cap breach (Autosport)
- KTM financial blows hint at looming motorsport cuts (The Race)
- D’station’s WEC Future Uncertain Amid SUPER GT Focus (Sportscar365)
- Mahindra unveil ‘completely new’ Formula E challenger (RacingNews365)
- Lucas Joins Re-Branded Korthoff Competition Motors Effort (Sportscar365)
- Regulator Racing Confirms 2025 Return (Sportscar365)
- Porsche reveals GEN3 Evo Formula E car as Pascal Wehrlein to take #1 (MotorsportWeek)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
