F1 Sponsorship Revenue Reaches $2.54 B, Narrowing NFL Gap

Formula 1’s sponsorship pool surged to $2.54 billion in 2025, a 22.1% increase over the previous year. The growth trims the sport’s gap with the NFL to $120 million, leaving F1 as the world’s second‑most valuable league after the NFL’s $2.66 billion. The boost comes from a record 382 deals involving 358 brands, with technology firms driving the biggest share.

Why it matters:

• Bigger sponsor dollars give teams more resources for car development, narrowing the performance gap between the leading outfits and smaller squads.
• The shift toward tech and AI sponsors ties F1’s global audience to fast‑growing digital sectors, reshaping the sport’s commercial DNA.
• Closing the NFL gap strengthens F1’s leverage in media‑rights negotiations and makes the championship more attractive to mainstream advertisers.

By the numbers:

• Total sponsorship revenue: $2.54 billion (+22.1% YoY).
• Deal count: 382 agreements with 358 distinct brands (up from 345 deals with 325 brands in 2024).
• NFL comparison: NFL at $2.66 billion; F1 now $120 million behind.
• Technology sector: $769 million (+40.8% YoY), led by Oracle, CrowdStrike and TeamViewer.
• Team leaders: Mercedes tops the list with $558 million; Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren follow.
• Financial services: $456 million; apparel & accessories: $219 million.
• Fastest‑growing category: Hospitality (hotels, restaurants, leisure) at $55 million (+62.4% YoY).
• Driver social‑media growth: Charles Leclerc +6.3 million followers (23.9% rise to 32.8 million); Lewis Hamilton +5 million (total ~60 million); Oscar Piastri +65.9% to 9.3 million.
• Endorsements: Sergio Pérez led with 31 deals despite missing the 2025 season; Lando Norris 18 deals; Franco Colapinto 17 deals.

What's next:

• AI and cybersecurity firms are poised to deepen their involvement, turning races into live showcases for cutting‑edge technology.
• Smaller teams, such as Haas, could use the expanding sponsor pool to improve their budgets and competitiveness.
• If the current trajectory holds, F1 may overtake the NFL in total commercial value within the next few years, reshaping the hierarchy of global sports leagues.