Formula 1 stops in Las Vegas between engines, sponsors and business

Numerous panelists are scheduled to speak at the event, including Derek Chang, President and CEO of Liberty Media Corporation, Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1 CEO, Emily Prazer, Formula 1 Commercial Director and President and CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Also in attendance will be Susie Wolff, General Manager of the F1 Academy, her husband Toto Wolff, Team Principal Mercedes, and several representatives from outside the world of Formula 1, such as Elizabeth Rutledge, Marketing Director of American Express, and Julia Golding, Global Head of Product and Marketing at Lego Group.

The programme of the meeting addresses a number of topics relevant to Formula 1 and the industrial and cultural context in which it operates. It will be opened by Stefano Domenicali, with a speech on the economic model of Formula 1, between growth dynamics and innovation drives. This will be followed by a session devoted to the impact of Las Vegas' urban and media transformation on sport and entertainment, with reflections on the city's role in redefining formats and languages.

The third discussion focuses on strategies for expansion into new markets, with a focus on diversifying targets and building commercial relationships in non-traditional contexts. There will also be a one-to-one discussion with Toto Wolff, followed by a session devoted to the evolution of partnerships and their role in positioning Formula 1 within pop culture.

Part of the programme is reserved for the theme of the feminine presence in motorsport, with an analysis of the factors that are favouring its growth and the role of institutional partners in supporting the project. The programme concludes with a reflection on the contribution of technology, both on and off the track, in redefining the sporting experience and models of enjoyment.

There are four options for access to the Summit, with prices ranging from $695 for entry to the event alone up to $12,864 for the complete package with access to the Paddock Club for three days. Formula 1 confirms itself as a business platform, especially in the US, as already seen in Miami. It is therefore not surprising that one of the Summit sessions is dedicated to partnerships. In this regard, we offer an analysis of the sponsors of the ten racing teams and their target markets.

Each team uses different criteria to classify its sponsors on the official websites, but in general, two main categories can be distinguished: commercial partners and technical partners. The former are companies that acquire marketing and communication rights, aiming for a return in terms of visibility and reputation. The most relevant commercial partner becomes a title sponsor, associating its name with that of the team. All Formula 1 teams now adopt this strategy, including McLaren, which recently signed a $100 million per year agreement with Mastercard, probably the largest in the entire paddock.

The technical partners, fewer in number than the commercial ones, provide essential goods and services to the team. For Ferrari, for example, HP is both title sponsor and supplier of technology solutions such as PCs and video conferencing systems.

As the chart below shows, McLaren is the team with the most sponsors (54), including Google, Android, Cisco, Deloitte and Goldman Sachs. This is followed by Alpine (47) with BWT, Eni, MSC Cruises and Microsoft; Ferrari (42) with Shell, Unicredit, IBM, Puma and Giorgio Armani; Sauber (37) with Kick and Stake; Red Bull (34) with Oracle, Hard Rock, Visa and Pepe Jeans.

Aston Martin has 31, with Aramco as the main; Mercedes 26, with Petronas; Racing Bulls and Williams 24 each, with Visa and Cash App respectively. Haas closes with 21 sponsors, including MoneyGram.

Formula 1 is a transversal sport and its audience is very heterogeneous in terms of age, gender and background. The pinnacle of motorsport therefore reaches targets in different markets, which is precisely why the sponsors of the racing teams - for whom Formula 1 is the means of gaining greater visibility and reaching their target market - also operate in very different sectors.

Out of 311 total sponsors, the graph below groups the different business areas of the partners into nine industry macro-categories. 27 per cent operate in the IT sector, with global prestige companies such as Oracle, Google, Cisco, Dell and Meta AI. Some of these are crucial in a data universe such as Formula 1.

Twenty per cent of the sponsors operate in the industrial sector. Partners in this category include Ecolab (chemical industry), Mitsubishi Electric (automation) and JCB (construction machinery). In third place is the financial sector (13%), with sponsors such as Unicredit, UBS, Goldman Sachs, Banco BRB, Citi and Santander.

Of course, the automotive sector and the related industry is also well represented, with 11% of sponsors, including Armor All, Öhlins, Endless, Brembo, Camozzi and Sabelt. The clothing and accessories sector follows, with 8% of sponsors active in this area, including TAG Heuer, Giorgio Armani, HUGO, Richard Mille, Adidas, Puma and Pepe Jeans.

There are also numerous sponsors from the food and beverage sector, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, including Red Bull, Heineken, Jack Daniel's, Peroni, Monster Energy and Patron Tequila. Brewers promote often non-alcoholic versions, which are increasingly visible and popular.

Other sectors represented by the partners of the ten stables are entertainment, professional services and energy, with companies such as Eni, Petronas and Aramco.

The partners of the Formula 1 racing teams are both commercial and technical, and this is reflected in the approaches adopted. 43% of partners operate a mixed model (B2B and B2C), 36% focus exclusively on Business to Business, especially in the IT and consulting sectors, while 21% adopt a Business to Consumer approach, typical of fashion, clothing and accessories brands.

Formula 1 confirms its global dimension, as evidenced by the origin of sponsors, distributed on all continents. Most of them are based in Europe (43%), the traditional reference market, but in recent years the weight of North America has grown (41%), thanks to Liberty Media's strategies to penetrate this market with new stops such as Austin, Miami and Las Vegas, and with the arrival in 2026 of the eleventh US team. With Cadillac, in fact, the number of American partners will also increase: The main sponsors of the new team include Tommy Hilfiger and Jim Beam.

Asia accounts for 8% of sponsors, while Oceania and South America each account for 3%; Africa is the least present, with only one sponsor among the 311 analysed. There are 25 Italian companies sponsoring Formula 1 teams, including Pirelli, Alpinestars and Sabelt as sponsors of more than one team.

The American weekend will take place at night for Italy, with sessions that will require an effort from fans. Free practice will start on Friday at 01:30, followed by the second session at 05:00. Saturday will be the turn of FP3, again at 01:30, while qualifying will start at 05:00. The race is scheduled for Sunday at 05:00, in what is the Saturday night of the city that never sleeps.

Overnight conditions and temperatures, low by usual standards, could influence strategies and tyre management, adding interesting variables to a very scenic race that could yet turn the fortunes of the world championship on its head.