Ferrari lead F1 in commercial appeal, but McLaren poised to compete

Despite a lack of recent success on the track in terms of titles, Ferrari are still the team to beat off the track when it comes to securing commercial revenue in Formula 1 says Sportcal, a GlobalData company.

Conrad Wiacek, Head of Sponsorship at Sportcal, comments, "Ferrari not only have the highest number of commercial partnerships in the sport - with 31 - but they also generate the most revenue from those deals, confirming that while F1 is evolving, the traditional brands are still the main drivers when it comes to securing commercial revenue." 

More revenue and more sponsors in 2019

While Mercedes have dominated the sport over the past five years with both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg securing World Championships and the team on a run of five consecutive Constructors’ titles, this has not dented the appeal of the sport’s most famous marque.

While the Prancing Horse has been starved of titles in recent seasons, the iconic red car has benefited from Sebastian Vettel’s duels with Hamilton at the front of the grid, bringing in more new sponsors for the 2019 season than almost any other team. 

At the other end of the grid, McLaren have suffered ignominy after ignominy on the track but are still an attractive partner for brands looking to develop their presence in F1. Despite not seeing the podium for the past four seasons, the British based team are the ‘best of the rest’ when it comes to generating commercial revenue.

Going without a title sponsor and instead focusing on a series of ‘partnerships’ with numerous brands, the eight time Constructors’ World Champions have secured the most sponsorship revenue of any team outside the current ‘big three’ in Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull.