Williams Racing has signed their biggest title sponsor in the team’s history and that is just one of the topics covered in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup. I also have news on major developments in Formula 1, NASCAR and IndyCar as well as the latest motorsport legal news and much more.
Motorsport Industry News
Formula 1
Representatives of the Democratic Republic of Congo have called on Formula 1 not to entertain the idea of sanctioning a Rwanda Grand Prix amid a long-running conflict in the region.
“I write to express deep concern over Formula 1’s reported ongoing talks with Rwanda to host a grand prix in its capital Kigali,” Wagner wrote in the letter, which was first reported by City AM and has since been confirmed as genuine by Autosport. “Rwanda is currently occupying a large part of the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in collaboration with its proxy the M23, displacing over 700,000 Congolese citizens.”
Read more at Autosport here.
While Formula 1 is predicted to be seeking a sizeable media rights increase in the United States for their next contract cycle, rumor has it that Netflix will be bidding for the rights. “If I’m Formula 1, I’m looking at the growth of Tier 1 sports in this marketplace and I’m saying I want my cut, and I’d be going to market very aggressively,” said Dan Cohen, executive vice president of media rights advisory at Octagon, which is not working with F1 on the search but has advised other motorsports properties on media rights.” ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro. has reportedly told F1 executives that “ESPN wouldn’t renew their $90 million U.S. rights deal, either, after the racing circuit asked for more money. (F1 executives have started talking to Netflix and NBC, among others, instead.)”
Despite being publicly bullish on their prospects earlier in the year. SI reports that organizers of the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix are growing “very concerned” about the prospects of a contract renewal amid Sergio Perez being axed by Red Bull.
“As organisers, we are very concerned about the absence of Sergio Perez from the Formula 1 grid,” said Alejandro Soberon, CEO of Mexico City GP promoter CIE. However, we are trying to find a way to extend our contract with the championship.”
Famed F1 circuit Suzuka in Japan got an off-season overhaul. The entire Suzuka East Course has been repaved, including the sinuous run through the opening third of the lap—one of the most popular sections for drivers.
Formula One’s chief commercial officer Emily Prazer has been named as the new president of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Prazer adds new role to her existing chief commercial officer duties at Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix’s chief executive Renee Wilm shifts focus to her wider role with Liberty Media, where she serves as chief legal and administrative officer. (via Sports Business Journal)
NASCAR
With NASCAR read to kick off their iconic Daytona 500 this weekend, the series has made a number of announcements and plans for 2025 and beyond. Here is a roundup of what they and others have been talking about.
Even after undergoing a dramatic makeover in recent years, NASCAR Holdings insists it’s still mashing the gas on change, with President Steve Phelps telling SBJ’s Adam Stern in this week’s magazine that the sport is exploring everything from possible race locations across the world to outside investments.
“We’re in right now what I would call the exploration phase, so we’re trying to build out our plans for ’26 and beyond, but it’s kind of like the NBA,” Phelps said. “Twenty years ago, their international footprint looked significantly different than it does today. My expectation is ours is going to continue to grow. There’s lots of opportunities for us.”
Steve Phelps looks forward (Sports Business Journal)
- NASCAR President Steve Phelps said there’s legitimate reason for optimism in adding a fourth carmaker to the sport. “We are having robust discussions with a number of [original equipment] partners that someday, if I had to guess and were a betting man, something is going to hit. I just don’t know with whom or the timing of that,” Phelps said. “I know that’s an answer I’ve given repeatedly over the last five years, but they’re facts. There’s no BS in the comment I just made.” (via Sports Business Journal)
- NASCAR ‘absolutely’ looking at private equity investment in coming years (BlackBook Motorsport)
- NASCAR’s Revamped TV Slate Features New Streaming, TV Partners (Sportico)
- Sources: NASCAR in talks over future of official fuel
- NASCAR launches official podcast – and floats potential playoff tweaks (RACER)
- NASCAR working on a year of Roblox content (Sports Business Journal)
IndyCar
Penske Entertainment has replaced IndyCar President Jay Frye with Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles. The change comes just over three weeks before the start of the new IndyCar season. Boles will also maintain his presidency of IMS, and no reason was given for the move.
“Racing is in my DNA, and no form of racing resonates more personally and strongly with me than the NTT IndyCar Series,” Boles said. “I’m honored to lead the amazing team at IndyCar, and I truly believe the future is bigger and brighter than ever for our sport and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’m extremely grateful to Mark Miles for this opportunity, and fans can rest assured the hard work is already under way and 2025 will be a fantastic season.”
Marshall Pruett asks why did IndyCar split with Jay Frye? “Jay focused more on comp and ops, and that’s on the track, and less on the other commercial aspects of the sport and IndyCar, and Doug is incredibly well suited to work on both.”
Fox have debuted a number of new IndyCar TV ads over the last few weeks and during the Super Bowl (you can see one above) which has led Alan Dove to ask the question, Can Some Nice Super Bowl Ads Really Transform IndyCar’s prospects?
“Fox seems acutely aware of this, which is why the network is leaning into the ‘human’ element in its marketing. This is a logical approach and, arguably, the only real lever available to broaden IndyCar’s appeal. Yet, therein lies a problem. Given the nature of IndyCar’s technical format, even the featured drivers could find themselves finishing outside the top five simply due to circumstance. For viewers encouraged to invest in these athletes emotionally, such randomness may feel disorienting.”
Read Alan’s full post here.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- Inside the creative process behind FOX Sports’ IndyCar promos (RACER)
- Gordon Murray Says It’s Easier to Win an F1 Championship Than Le Mans—Here’s Why (Robb Report)
- Educating the next generation of Motorsport Leaders: the intersection of STEM, sustainability and motorsport (Maja Czarzasty-Zybert, Attorney-at-Law, PhD)
- Simpson Named Ginetta Motorsport CEO (Sportscar365)
- Barcelona to remain on MotoGP calendar until 2031 (Motorsport Week)
- How Motorsport Helped the E1 Electric Boat Series to Launch (Racecar Engineering)
- Lessons about gender equality from Drag Racing (More Than Equal)
- The TV challenge of Formula E’s new pitstop era (The Race)
- Opinion: Entering the ‘Platinum Era’ of Sports Car Racing (Sportscar365+)
- Racing Dominates the Super Bowl (Formula Flash)
- SCCA Presents Top Honors at National Convention (PRI)
- Chris Pook named 2025 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Bob Russo Heritage Award winner (RACER)
- Primal Racing to build world’s largest Radical dealership, Radical Palm Beach, at P1 Motor Club (P1 Motor Club)
- Autoport Reaches Major Milestone: Uwharrie Motorsports Park Set to Break Ground in 2025 (Uwharrie Motorsports Park)
- Circuit Florida Approved to Expand! (Circuit Florida)
- Highest-Paid Athletes in the World: Ronaldo Leads 12 Stars at $100M+ (Sportico)
- Online Abuse in Sport Barometer 2025 (United Against Online Abuse)
- Porsche cuts about 1900 jobs in Germany by 2029 (Love For Porsche)
- Honda And Nissan Call Off Merger Talks (Forbes)
- How Nissan and Honda’s $60 billion merger talks collapsed (Reuters)
- Highest-Paid Athletes in the World: Full List (Verstappen:18, Hamilton: 22) (Sportico)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Peugeot Sport has partnered with Capgemini to help them decarbonize their WEC race season and in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup you will find out how. I also have technical updates on the Alpine Alpenglow and Le Mans H24EVO hydrogen racers and more.
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
NASCAR filed a brief this Wednesday in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals asking for a reversal of the preliminary injunction granted to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports that allows the teams to compete under the charter agreement.
NASCAR is arguing that “The district court’s injunction orders flout federal antitrust law; misapply the established rules governing the use of preliminary injunctions; ignore unrebutted, legally significant evidence; and have sweeping implications for NASCAR’s 2025 Cup Series season. Any one of the district court’s many errors warrants reversal.”
RACER has more details.
Sportico has a profile of former NBA executive Jeffrey Mishkin, one of the most prominent sports attorneys in recent decades, who has been tapped to mediate the antitrust litigation involving 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, NASCAR and CEO Jim France.
Planet F1 reports that Yilmaz Tozturkan, the mastermind behind a plot to blackmail Michael Schumacher’s family for €15 million, has been sentenced to three years in prison. Tozturkan and two other men were found guilty of a blackmail plot in which they threated to release private photos and videos of Schumacher on the dark web if they were not paid by his family.
For those involved in the sim racing and esports side of motorsport, you may want to read LawInSport’s “Future-proofing esports: a look ahead to the key legal issues facing the esports industry.”
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
Here are the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- Williams confirms Atlassian title sponsorship deal is biggest in team’s history (Adam Cooper)
- Record title sponsorship for Williams F1 as Atlassian deal announced (Autosport)
- AlphaTauri announces Four-Time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen as Official Global Brand Ambassador (AlphaTauri)
- Formula One’s Max Verstappen Gets a Fashion Role (WWD)
- Formula 1 inks multi-year Allwyn deal (SIG)
- Gulf Air continues as title sponsor of F1 Bahrain Grand Prix (Autosport)
- F1 Sponsorship Guide: How Brands Enter Motorsport (Motorsport Week)
- Toto Wolff: Adidas deal shows no Mercedes ‘hangover’ from Lewis Hamilton F1 exit (Motorsport Week)
- IMG secure exclusive multi-year rights to Formula E archive (Formula E)
- Red Bull F1 team secure Gate.io as new crypto partner (BlackBook Motorsport)
- 1Password named exclusive Cybersecurity Partner of Oracle Red Bull Racing (Red Bull Racing)
- Uniting luxury skincare with high performance: Aston Martin Aramco partners with ELEMIS (Aston Martin F1)
- BWT Alpine Formula One Team names Arctic Wolf as Official Cybersecurity Partner (Alpine)
- NASCAR partners with Cosm to offer Daytona 500 in shared reality (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Another round: Anheuser-Busch re-ups premier partnership deal with NASCAR (Sports Business Journal)
- VCARB Announce Partnership with Student.com (VCARB)
- BWT Alpine Formula One Team partners with OAKBERRY (Alpine)
- Why Now is the Right Time to Think Differently about Sponsorship (Paula Beadle)
- R&G Is The Official Protection Partner Of MotoAmerica (Superbike News)
- Milltek extends sponsorship of Civic Cup for sixth consecutive season (PMW)
- SUNNYD Kicks off the 2025 Regular Season with Hyak Motorsports at the Daytona 500 (Hyak Motorsports)
- Penske Entertainment signs new fantasy league partner (RACER)
- F1’s Monaco Grand Prix gets its first title sponsor as TAG Heuer signs up (Autosport)
- Kevin Magnussen and Admin By Request Extend Partnership (Carlos Communication)
- Allwyn becomes an Official Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team (Allwyn)
- Law Tigers Is Presenting Sponsor Of MotoAmerica Round At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (Cycle News)
- HMD Motorsports Adds Lincoln Electric as Associate Partner (RTD Media)
- Richard Petty Partners With Sugarlands For Limited Edition Whiskey (Forbes)
- How Partnerships Drive Success (GT World Challenge America)
The Business of Running a Race Team
The rise of Spire: Jeff Dickerson’s NASCAR vision
Team & Manufacturer News
Here is a roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- Honda warming to idea of Acura FIA WEC Hypercar entry and customer programs (RACER)
- Racers Edge Motorsports to enter Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with Bell and Cooper in GT World Challenge America (RACER)
- Australia’s Patrick Heuzenroeder will spearhead newcomers Xcel Motorsport in the 2025 GB3 Championship (Auto Action)
- Penske renews with Dick Johnson Racing (V8 Sleuth)
- BMW Team Studie Poised for GT300 Withdrawal (Sportscar365)
- Bartone Bros. Racing: Full-Time IMSA Effort is “Next Rung” on Ladder (Sportscar365)
- Idris Elba among new investors in Kiro Formula E team (Autosport)
- Cadillac F1 deal created Triple Eight crossroads (SpeedCafe)
- Veloce Returns to Race in Extreme H (Extreme H)
- Cadillac-Ferrari F1 deal could extend to suspension (Autosport)
- Cadillac F1’s plan for new $150m factory revealed (The Race)
- Iron Lynx unveils Mercedes WEC program (RACER)
- BMW Team Studie Poised for GT300 Withdrawal (Sportscar365)
- One Group Outlines 2025 GT Racing Plans (Daily Sportscar)
- Matt Stone Racing pledges commitment to General Motors (SpeedCafe)
- Phinia strengthens partnership with Alpine Racing (PMW)
- BMW M Motorsport selects AccuSim as its simulation partner (PMW)
- Cupra Kiro boss praises ‘quality’ customer Porsche package (Motorsport Week)
- Honda set to return to British GT with NSX GT3 making its series debut
- Renault Group, Eni, and BWT Alpine Formula One Team come together in new strategic partnership (Alpine)
- Power Maxed Racing’s BTCC future in jeopardy after sponsor termination (Autosport)
- Honda spoke with ‘several F1 teams’ before striking Aston Martin engine partnership (Motorsport Week)
- GB3 teams begin testing with new Tatuus MSV GB3-025 car (Formula Scout)
- KTM’s Future in MotoGP: Battling Financial Turmoil with a Bold Racing Vision (iSport Connect)
- Audi F1’s ‘blindingly obvious’ fix for long-term Sauber stumbling block (Motor Sport Magazine)
- Juncos Hollinger Racing suspends Indy NXT program (U.S. Open Wheel Nation)
- Steller Start European Test Program With New Corvettes (Daily Sportscar)
- Spike The LMP2 Dragon Confirmed For 2025 ELMS With AO Racing By TF Sport
- Peugeot Sport and Capgemini renew WEC partnership (PMW)
- Team Landgraf to Make DTM Series Return After One-Year Absence (Sportscar365)
- RPM Powered by Forte Confirms McLaren Trophy America Entry for Madsen, Langberg (Sportscar365)
- TechSport Confirms Four-Driver GR Cup Effort (Sportscar365)
Motorsport Movers & Shakers
In the video above, Mo Murray, CEO of Ligier Automotive North America, dives into the history and innovation behind one of motorsport’s most iconic brands during EPARTRADE’s 5th Annual Race Industry Week. From Ligier’s Formula 1 heritage to its groundbreaking junior racing platforms and sustainable technologies, discover how Ligier Automotive is shaping the future of racing.
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.
