Formula 1 closing in fast on the NFL sponsorship earnings
Formula 1’s commercial engine is running at full throttle, with team sponsorship revenue reaching a staggering $2.04 billion in 2024, according to SponsorUnited’s latest Turnkey Report.
Despite having just 10 teams, Formula 1 outpaces all North American leagues in average deal size, including reeling in the Big Daddy of sports marketing in the States, namely the NFL, with its $2.5-billion earnings. The report reveals that the once Europe-centric sport continues to grow its global footprint rapidly in both brand presence and social reach.
Technology sponsors accounted for over $500 million of the total Formula 1 sponsorship value, surpassing finance and auto categories. Among the most lucrative individual partnerships were Oracle’s title deal with Red Bull Racing, Petronas’ continued alliance with Mercedes-AMG, and HP’s branding of Ferrari’s works team.
The average F1 sponsorship deal was worth $6.01 million—far exceeding the NFL’s average of $745,000 per deal. Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, and Red Bull were the highest-earning teams, while McLaren led all teams in deal volume growth between 2023 and 2024.
New deals reshape team alignments for 2025
Several high-profile shifts define the 2025 sponsorship landscape. Atlassian became the title partner of Williams, bringing with it a $28.2 million median valuation for such exclusive title deals. Spanish bank Santander followed Carlos Sainz Jr. from Ferrari to Williams, reinforcing its F1 presence. Eni returned to the paddock after 25 years as Alpine’s official fuel partner, contributing to over $100 million in energy-sector deals.
Sponsor asset values also surged, with key placements like the Airbox ($5.7M–$7.5M), Sidepod ($5.3M–$6.4M), and Rear Wing Flap ($1.9M–$2.2M) commanding premium rates. Even race suit logos ranged from $158K to over $2M depending on placement.
The commercial boost extends beyond team deals. Formula 1 signed several league-level agreements in 2025, including Nestlé (KitKat), PwC (Official Consulting Partner), Barilla (trackside and Paddock Club pasta bars), and LVMH (via six luxury brands including TAG Heuer and Louis Vuitton).
Drivers’ marketing power: Hamilton leads, Piastri and Albon soar
Santander also expanded its role to become the Official Retail Banking Partner of Formula 1, while gaming firm Allwyn joined as a global partner to capitalise on the championship’s 21-country calendar.
In social media influence, Lewis Hamilton remains Formula 1’s most-followed driver with 55 million followers, trailed by Max Verstappen (32.4M) and Charles Leclerc (29.2M). Oscar Piastri (9.9M) and Alexander Albon (5.7M) posted notable growth, with Albon’s following surging by 70 percent year-on-year. Even rookies like Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli are beginning to attract brand attention.
SponsorUnited tracked over 400 deals and 1,900 individual assets in producing this report, offering a data-rich overview of a sport rapidly evolving its commercial playbook.
As the 2025 season gains momentum, Formula 1 is proving not only a racing spectacle but a juggernaut of global sponsorship innovation.
Reuters reports that 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.
Report Methodology
The 2024 Formula 1 Report by SponsorUnited is based on comprehensive data analysis spanning over 365 brands, 400 sponsorship deals, and 1,900 assets across all F1 teams and drivers. It includes traditional team sponsorships as well as deals signed at the league level or through third-party agencies.
If a parent company promotes multiple sub-brands, each exposure is counted as an individual deal. Sponsorship pricing data was sourced from SponsorUnited’s SPND product, which uses a proprietary AI-powered algorithm trained on over \$13.3 billion in actual sponsorship transactions.
This tool incorporates market trends, asset valuations, and rights holder data to estimate deal values. Social engagement figures were gathered using SponsorUnited’s in-house tracking metrics across platforms including Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Data collection covered January 1, 2024 to April 29, 2025.
The report was produced by SponsorUnited’s Marketing, Business Intelligence, and Analytics teams using insights from their SaaS platform, which monitors global F1 sponsorship activity.
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