McDonald’s Signed as F1’s Official Regional Partners After Rumored $65 Million Soccer Sponsorship for Ligue 1

What do you think of when you see an F1 car? Probably the aerodynamics, the livery, or just how fast it looks. Open wheel racing at its finest. But what do the sponsors or the multi-million worth companies look at? A space on the car to put up their name. An F1 car is essentially a huge billboard that goes around the track at 200+ mph. And with the ever-growing popularity of F1, everyone wants their name on an F1 car. Now hours after the rumored sponsorship deal with Ligue 1, McDonald’s has signed as the official regional partner of F1. Let’s dive deeper.

The sponsorship deals of F1 teams have been all over the place this winter. From Monster moving away from Mercedes and joining McLaren, to the Stake Kick Sauber F1 Saga to Aston Martin signing Aramco as their title sponsor, it’s been a busy winter. But now F1 itself has signed a new regional sponsor in the form of McDonald’s for the Latin American region following an agreement between Arcos Dorados, the parent company of McDonald’s, and F1. 

What’s intriguing is that McDonald’s seems to be on the move in making deals in the world of sports. Just hours before the F1 sponsorship announcement, reports of McDonald’s being close to signing a deal with the French league, Ligue 1, came out. McDonald’s is reported to replace Uber Eats as the Ligue 1 sponsor, in a 3-year deal worth $65 million. Regardless, let’s see what F1’s Chief Commercial Officer had to say about the new deal.

According to Formula1.com, Emily Prazer said, “Formula 1 has a rich heritage in Latin America, so we are thrilled to be partnering with an iconic brand like McDonald’s to help further our connection with fans in this region. Through a combination of digital activations and in-store activity, we are incredibly excited to be working with McDonald’s to bring the world of F1 to both current and future fans in a new and powerful way.”

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Icons like Ayrton Senna have come from the Latin American region and the sport continues to grow exponentially in this region. Hence, this sponsorship deal for McDonald’s makes a lot of sense. But unlike F1, Sauber’s new sponsor still seems to be under some scrutiny.

Stake clears its stance over the ongoing legal scenario 

Stake.com is an online gambling platform. Since gambling and /or advertisements of the same aren’t permitted in many countries, Sauber would have to change its livery from time to time when racing in those countries. Also, since Sauber is a Swiss company, Stake would have to be registered with the Swiss Commission, which was in doubt. But now, Stake has cleared its stance on the same. 

A spokesperson from Stake said, “We are in close contact with the Swiss Commission, and we are following all the regulations. It is a completely routine situation. Everything is above board, above ground, and the rules are being applied.It is the same procedure as last year with the Swiss Commission when Stake joined us as a partner. And our situation is no different to that of Williams when it had to change its livery on occasion for certain Grands Prix.”

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What do you make of F1’s new sponsorship with McDonald’s?