F1 and Lego to build licensing partnership from 2025

Formula One and Lego have announced a multi-year partnership that will launch in 2025.

Contract:

• A portfolio of products will be released involving all ten Formula One teams
• Activations will take place throughout the 2025 season, with interactive fan zones at Grands Prix and social content across Lego’s digital platforms

Context:

With Formula One’s continued commercial success this year, one area that could be considered underdeveloped is the series’ approach to licensing. The sport is very protective over its brand – just ask the various content creators who are rumoured to have received cease and desist letters for using ‘F1’ in their names – so it tracks that the series has been selective over its partners.

A multi-year supply deal signed with Puma in 2023 allows the German sportswear giant to produce Formula One-licensed apparel, footwear and accessories. The series also has licensing deals with The Memento Group and Playseat.

This collaboration with Lego, though, feels different. With Formula One stating that more than four million children aged eight to 12 now actively follow the sport across Europe and the US, and 40 per cent of the series’ Instagram followers are now under 25 years old, this partnership has the future at its heart.

Converting the younger generation into diehard followers of the sport is the key to long-term success. After all, this will be the fanbase that Formula One will look to monetise in years to come.

Comment:

Emily Prazer, chief commercial officer of Formula One, said: “The Lego brick has ignited a spark of creativity and passion for building in millions of children and adults around the globe.

“Through this partnership, fans will be able to recreate and reimagine the world of Formula One, brick by brick, delving deeper into the intricacies of the mechanics and technology behind the sport through play.

“We look forward to bringing the drama and excitement of Formula One to the Lego Group’s passionate network of builders and giving our fans another means to enjoy the sport with their friends and family.”

Coming next:

Formula One races this weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Singapore Grand Prix takes place from 20th to 22nd September.

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• Heineken, Peroni and Estrella Galicia: The rise of non-alcoholic beer sponsorships in F1