Paint Jobs & PR - The New Formula 1 Season is Go!

Formula 1’s car launch season is now behind us, all ten teams having unveiled the cars which carry their 2024 World Championship hopes and ambitions.  As ever there was much to talk about, from car liveries ranging from the great to the garish through to the usual skullduggery involved in hiding certain design aspects from prying eyes.  

As ever there was a tidal wave of wordy press releases and PR speak as team bosses, drivers and technical directors talked up their chances ahead of the opening race of the season in Bahrain in just 10 days time.

We’ve decided to take a look at the teams from a slightly different perspective, specifically the line-up of sponsors, partners and suppliers, their impact on the teams and overall health of the sport.  Splitting the field in half, we’ll use this blog to look at the first five cars to launch, the second part coming at the end of pre-season testing which takes place between February 21st and 23rd. 

First out of the blocks was the team which finished last in 2023, Haas F1.  There were a number of issues with its predecessor, most notably its inability to use the Pirelli tyres effectively across a race distance, so that will be a major development focus for the new Haas VF-24.   It’s unveiling set the tone for many of the 2024 liveries thanks to its extensive use of carbon black, the weight of paint falling victim to the engineers’ obsession with lightness and marginal gains.

Whether or not you are a purist who views paintless as pointless, the stripped back red and black livery of the Haas with its white stripes and cockpit section should at least stand out.  With a total of 15 commercial partners, primary branding goes to title sponsor MoneyGram and the Haas Automation company of team owner Gene Haas, while less prominent branding is reserved for partners including on-line casino company Play’n Go, US restaurant chain Chipotle and fashion brand Palm Angels.

February 5th saw both the Sauber and Williams teams unveil their challengers.  

In common with the team formerly known as Minardi, Toro Rosso and then Alpha Tauri, Sauber has sold the entire naming rights to the team in its quest to generate much needed income.  As a result the Swiss outfit will be known as the Stake F1 Team and its cars the Kick Saubers for the next two years.  Stake is an online gambling brand, Kick an on-line streaming platform, and the team’s garish green livery on the Kick Sauber C44’s will certainly bounce on our screens.

Thai beer brand Singha continues its team partnership, while a plethora of smaller sponsors and technical partners reflect the commercial progress made by the team during its six year relationship with Alfa Romeo.  

Over at Williams things are looking up.  The team performed much better than expected last season under the guidance of new Team Principal James Vowles and this has unquestionably helped its commercial team.  Although listing only 17 partners, Japanese multinational Komatsu has taken a major presence alongside brands including Gulf Oil, Duracell and Kraken, while another new partner, VAST Data, underscores the importance of digital technologies.  Around one in six sponsors and partners in Formula 1 come from that sector alone.

Alpine’s new A524 chassis will need to provide a major step in performance if drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are to reverse the decline which saw the team slip from 4th in 2022 down to  6th in the World Championship for Constructors last year.  It’s title partner remains water company BWT, surely one of F1’s most passionate commercial partners, while BP Castrol continues its major association with the team.

The French team spots a total of 31 partners, although these include parent company Renault, the firm’s financial services division Mobilize and of course the ever-present Pirelli.  

Both Alpine and the team formerly known as Minardi/Toro Rosso/Alpha Tauri have attracted new watch sponsors, H.Moser & Cie announcing a global tie-up with the Alpine brand and Tudor joining Red Bull’s junior team.  That team is now entitled the Visa Cash App RB Formula 1 team, or VCARB for short, an acronym that the marketing folk at Visa must hope is not taken by fans as something to do with carburettors or carbohydrates.  VCARB sports 17 partners in 2024.

Given the restrictions on broadcast media, governed by rules about mentioning commercial brands, not to mention print and digital media where word-count is always important, it seems unlikely that Stake F1, the Kick Saubers or Visa Cash App RBs will get quite the headlines they crave.  Expect to hear the Sauber name given plenty of airing, while VCARB is likely to give way to the Racing Bulls, the official Company name on the official FIA entry list.

-Mark Gallagher
Performance Insights