Chase Carey reveals how sponsors are close to F1
by Adam NewtonF1 CEO Chase Carey has revealed that sponsors are looking to join forces with F1 like never before as the sport becomes a more global brand. Liberty Media are rumoured to be ready to announce another major sponsor to join the core of companies already affiliated with F1.
Pirelli, DHL, Rolex, Heineken and Emirates are currently the main partners to F1, and Carey says it has been a challenge to build more marketing contacts for F1, with the area seemingly neglected by former boss Bernie Ecclestone.
Carey told motorsport.com: "Our cupboard was pretty bare, because we didn't really have a sponsor group. We hadn't created any tools. We hadn't created capabilities to tell the story of F1, to create some excitement.
"We have some momentum today. We've had attendance up, we've had viewership up, we've got a good story, we've got new dimensions to the sport.
"So we had to develop the array of initiatives, whether it's digital initiatives, regional feeds, virtual ads, fan festivals, all those types of opportunities to create tailored targeted opportunities.
"The traction with interested sponsors has been on a steady rise, we've never been busier. I've got a three page back list of sponsors we're engaged with. Obviously, until the sponsors are signed, deals aren't done.
"Certainly, I'd say we feel we have gotten progressively better, as we've gone along. So while it's been slower and harder than I would have planned it to be a couple of years ago, I think that in many ways is the nature of where we started, and we started really from ground zero."