According to reports, McLaren is leading a battle between four teams in Formula 1 to secure a lucrative sponsorship deal with credit card company Mastercard. SportBusiness claims that McLaren is competing with Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin to secure Mastercard’s signature. The report suggests there will be a « sponsorship showdown » to secure a significant cash investment, and McLaren has the best chance of securing a title partnership. Ferrari recently closed a major commercial partnership with HP, which is said to be on the same level as Red Bull’s long-term deal with Oracle. Mastercard stated that they are constantly exploring new opportunities to benefit their customers and cardholders, but have nothing new to share at this time. There are rumors that Williams may be the only F1 team without a title sponsor.
Fans of the smaller teams in F1 may remember Mastercard’s failed partnership with Lola, a British chassis manufacturer, during the 1997 season. Lola planned to debut in F1 in 1998, but due to rival HSBC entering the F1 commercial space with Stewart Grand Prix in 1997, Lola was forced to accelerate their plans. As a result, Lola’s effort was unprepared and they failed to qualify for the Australian Grand Prix, which opened the season. This was a major issue for Mastercard, as they had created an exclusive F1 club for members, offering benefits such as newsletters and Lola team merchandise. However, with Lola’s uncompetitive cars, consumers had little incentive to support a team they couldn’t watch on race day. To avoid further embarrassment, Mastercard withdrew from the partnership before the next stage, and Lola’s story in F1 came to an end.
De nos jours, un parrainage de titre en F1 est une proposition différente pour Mastercard. Les équipes sont évaluées à plus de £1 milliard et des réglementations telles que les limites de coûts et les tests en soufflerie ont contribué à égaliser le terrain de jeu. McLaren, dirigée par le PDG Zak Brown, est devenue une puissance du marketing avec l’un des plus grands portefeuilles de partenaires commerciaux en F1.
