From logos to loyalty: F1 sponsors are leaving value on the table
How understanding fan loyalty helps brands craft meaningful, high-impact sponsorships that create lifelong customers.
Our research into the F1 Fan Experience has focused on 2 areas:
Fans relationship with the sport
Fans relationship with F1 sponsors
In this article, we will focus on F1 Fans' relationship with F1 sponsors. Part 1 of 2.
This topic is hot! Just this week (21 May 2025) Disney announced their partnership with Formula One. We're excited to see how Disney engages Formula One fans to get the most out of their new partnership.
What F1 sponsors get wrong about fan angagement
A sea of logos blurring past at 200mph. Hundreds of millions in sponsorship dollars. Billions of eyeballs. Yet for most brands investing in Formula 1, the return stops at basic awareness — a massively missed opportunity.
After interviewing 15 lifelong F1 fans and speaking with 20+ attendees at the Bahrain Grand Prix, we've uncovered something that should make sponsors uncomfortable: most fans don't care about most sponsors.
One fan put it bluntly: "They're just there to get their names on a shirt or the car itself. Do they add to the experience at all? No."
Ouch.
That's not to say that awareness is bad–anyone involved in marketing will rightfully tell you the opposite, and F1 is no different. A brand's association with F1 is valuable in and of itself. And fans acknowledge this:
"But some of them you can see, it's just the paid deal for them to get some marketing through formula one. So guess I would consider that unimpressive, but never negative. It it supports the sport. So it can't in my opinion, be negative"
In this quote from a race-going F1 fan, they acknowledge the positive of being associated with F1. Yet there is clearly value left on the table.
The opportunity: when brands get it right, F1 sponsorship can build the kind of loyalty that marketers dream about. The kind that turns fans into brand advocates and creates customers for life.
"They're just there to get their names on a shirt or the car itself. Do they add to the experience at all? No."
F1 Fan at the Bahrain 2025 race
The brand loyalty framework F1 sponsors need
Our research revealed a clear progression that every F1 sponsor should understand:
1. Awareness
Most brands in F1 achieve this baseline. Your logo appears on cars, driver suits, and trackside signage. Fans recognize your brand name, but that's where the relationship often ends. As our research shows, many brands stop here.
2. Appreciation
This is where the real work begins. Appreciation happens when fans aren't just aware of a brand's association with F1, but begin to grow an understanding of... (Well, we can't give it all away for free, but we have uncovered specific examples of how to grow appreciation among F1 Fans).
3. Trust
Trust emerges over time through consistent appreciation. It's when fans begin to associate positive qualities of F1 (performance, precision, innovation) with your brand.
4. Loyalty
Over time, trust leads to loyalty. The final stage splits into two powerful dimensions:
Emotional Loyalty
When fans verbally claim allegiance to a brand regardless of purchase behavior. For expensive luxury brands, this is the type of loyalty that is most likely achievable for most fans. Buying a Rolex or Mercedes is not part of your average F1 fan's regular purchase decisions. But building this emotional loyalty contributes greatly to the prestige of a brand overall–this sort of aspirational future purchase leads to increased engagement on social media, positive social perception, and a higher demand overall.
Behavioral Loyalty
When loyalty manifests in actual purchase decisions and repeat business. Not only do fans say that they will go with your brand over competitors–their purchase behavior supports what they say. Even in the case of your product or service being more expensive than others, loyal customers continue coming back.
Many brands stop here [Awareness].
SIX evidence-based pathways to building real loyalty
Through extensive research, we uncovered six proven strategies that move sponsors beyond awareness, into appreciation, and towards trust & loyalty.
Please reach out to learn more about these strategies & how XWORX can help you implement them. We would love to help sponsors maximise ROI on F1 sponsorship by utilising one or more of these evidenced strategies to achieve appreciation, trust, and loyalty among F1 fans.
The bottom line
F1 sponsorship fees have skyrocketed in recent years, yet many brands continue executing the same tired strategies that barely worked a decade ago.
The sport has transformed. The fan base has evolved. The fan experience has shifted. And with these changes, the opportunities for meaningful connection have multiplied.
The question isn't whether F1 delivers ROI — it's whether sponsors are capturing the full potential of the platform. For most, the honest answer is no.
Understanding the brand loyalty framework isn't just about more effective marketing — it's about understanding the very people you're trying to reach. F1 fans are passionate, knowledgeable, and increasingly sophisticated in how they engage with sponsors.
It's time for brands to match that sophistication with sponsorship strategies that deliver genuine value at every stage of the loyalty journey.
Want the full research on creating F1 sponsorships that deliver genuine ROI?
Contact us to learn more about our evidence-backed loyalty pathways and how to implement them for your brand.
