Formula One in 2016 was dying.
This new Brand Strategy made it worth $30B.
In 2016, F1 was irrelevant:
– Lost over 150M viewers.
– Average fan age 40+.
– Digital presence? Non-existent.
– U.S. engagement? Almost zero.
Brand perception? “Elitist”, “boring”, “outdated”… “not me”
And the CEO, Bernie Ecclestone, couldn’t care less. He famously said:
“15-year-olds can’t afford a Rolex, our sponsor. Why would I care about them?”
It went beyond words. Social media was banned.
No YouTube. No behind-the-scenes. No fan connection.
Bernie wanted to protect TV rights at all costs, so drivers couldn’t post any content.
Tight media control. No brand voice. No audience growth.
Just an ageing product losing relevance, fast.
Then Liberty Media bought the entire sport in 2016.
– $8.5B ($4.4B equity + $4.1B debt)
They took full control.
And replaced old-school elitism with a new belief:
F1 wasn’t just a sport. It was an entertainment brand.
Criminally under-leveraged. Emotionally unavailable.
By 2024, that rebrand made it worth over $30B.
Here’s the strategy that made that leap possible:
1. From Product-First to Audience-First
No more hiding behind paywalls.
– F1TV (DTC streaming)
– TikTok, Twitch, YouTube dominance
– Daily content, not just race-day clips
Strategic Shift: Exclusive TV deals → Constant authentic brand presence
2. From Feature-Led to Emotion-Led
Drive to Survive hit Netflix and flipped everything.
Not about cars, but about egos, rivalries, emotions.
By 2022, 40% of new under-35 fans joined via Netflix. 40!
In the U.S., viewership doubled.
Strategic Shift: Performance → Emotion
3. From Elitism to Cultural Relevance
– Grid girls became grid kids.
– DJs. Celebs. Driver banter.
F1 became a brand fans could feel was theirs.
Strategic Shift: Prestige → Participation and identity
4. From Event to Ecosystem
The new U.S. owners said: “21 races = 21 Super Bowls.”
– Driver’s live streams
– TikTok memes from Mercedes
– Podcasts, esports, WhatsApp news.. all of it!
Strategic Shift: “Watch us Sunday” → “Be with us always”
5. From Control to Personal Brand Amplification
Their most underused edge? Just 20 drivers. Just 10 teams.
Way easier than any other sport.
Drivers became personal brands that fuel F1.
Strategic Shift: One voice → Symphony of creators
6. A New Branded Experience
In 2017, it all culminated in a full identity rebrand.
Logo. Type. Motion. Voice. Sound.
Visual. Verbal. Audio. Experiential.
Strategic Shift: Outdated → A unified exciting experience
The Result?
– Revenue: $1.8B → $3.65B
– Valuation: $8B → $30B
– Sponsorships: doubled
– Female fans: 41%
– Global fanbase: 750M+
– U.S. GP weekends: 400K+
– Avg. fan age: dropped to 32
Buuut not everyone’s happy:
They say the sport lost its soul. Too Americanised. Too commercial.
Borrowed straight from the NFL:
– Big money. Big show. Low loyalty.
– Revenue first. Experience second. Fans third.
Is that the price of relevance?
You gain attention… but give up something else?