Sports marketing agency Right Formula has reinforced its position in the Formula 1 market by securing five new clients, each of which has a presence in the series.
SportBusiness understands that over recent months the London-based agency has secured contracts with lottery operator Allwyn, file-sharing service Dropbox, water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions specialist Ecolab, customer and employee experience manager Medallia, and telecoms group Tata Communications.
All of the above brands except Tata are linked by their sponsorship of McLaren Racing. Tata’s association is with F1 itself at the central level. Allywn also signed a central deal with the series to complement its high-profile agreement with McLaren, both of which began at the start of the 2025 season.
Right Formula’s specific remit varies across each contract, though each of the five is employing the firm’s strategy services. Other elements of the firm’s offering covered across the new relationships include digital, creative, communications, hospitality and events.
Robin Fenwick, chief executive of Right Formula, told SportBusiness that the business now has a greater number of clients in the F1 market than any other agency, totalling over 30. While the organisation’s work and ambitions are broader than just F1, it does position itself as a specialist in the series.
Fenwick said: “At the core of our strong position from F1 is an in-depth knowledge of the series that runs through the business and that sometimes extends to in-depth knowledge of a specific team as is the case here with McLaren. That allows us to identify the right objectives and clear, achievable key performance indicators for clients early on in the process and focus on delivering value for money against those metrics.
“We’ve been able to build a reputation in the market based on that. Going back 10 years, Right Formula wasn’t well known as a player within the space, but over that time we’ve been able to build a reputation and trust to a point that allows us to stand as the agency with the highest volume of clients in the market and be able to see off competition in competitive tender processes to secure new business.”
Providing an example of how Right Formula would be working with its new clients, Fenwick cited Dropbox and how the focus will be on supporting the brand in showcasing the use of its technology by McLaren. There will also be an emphasis helping the business make connections in the B2B space, particularly around the development of its AI-generated Dropbox Dash product, which it is keen to showcase to other businesses within the F1 community.
The five new additions join a portfolio of clients that already includes the likes of F1 central sponsor Qatar Airways, whom Right Formula provides its activation services to across the airline’s global F1 sponsorship. Other notable clients include Red Bull Racing and VCarb oil supplier ExxonMobil, Mercedes sponsor SAP and tyre specialist Pirelli.
In order to service its growing client group, Right Formula has been adding to its internal capabilities, notably adding Paul Gandolfi, former Ferrari vice-president, sales, as chief commercial officer. It is also currently in the hiring process for other positions including a partnerships director for rights sales.
F1 Market
On the opportunities and challenges currently facing the F1 market, Fenwick observed: “F1 has never been in such good general health, commercially speaking, almost to an extent that it’s taken some people within the market by surprise. A number of factors have contributed that, including the role of Liberty Media as rights-holder, the impact of Netflix’s Drive to Survive and also the pandemic, which actually prompted a significant amount of evolution in the sport, especially in a digital sense.
“The question that keeps coming up from key stakeholders around the paddock is how we ensure this commercial position continues to strengthen and doesn’t stagnate or worse fall. There’s been great strides made in engaging the female audience with F1, which now makes up 41 per cent of the total audience, so it’s now about building on that and identifying what the next audience segment is where there is room for growth.”
There is also the question of avoiding the pitfalls of a cluttered marketplace as brands jostle for position and share of voice in the now heavily populated F1 sponsorship market. F1 itself now has a total of 27 sponsors and partners, while the likes of McLaren and Ferrari hold 51 and 44 brands within their portfolios, respectively.
Fenwick added: “Part of the answer is looking at how we create value outside of a race weekend. There’s obviously an increased demand for content from fans, so it’s about meeting that in an engaging manner.
“The increased presence of the US in the sport is important. That market tends to think about sport differently from the rest of the world in a commercial sense, so that’s hugely exciting and brings opportunities.”
The US footprint in F1 has grown significantly in recent years, with three races now held in the country. There has also been a surge in US-based brands sponsoring the series and its teams.
This American influence is set to grow next year when US car giant General Motors joins the series in 2026 with its Cadillac brand as the 11th team. GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time, expected to be 2028.