McLaren Racing have signed Cisco as their primary partner for the 2024 F1 Academy season.
Confirmed:
- Technology company to support Bianca Bustamante in a multi-year deal
- 18 year old also joins McLaren’s driver development programme
Context:
With F1 Academy moving onto the Formula One support grid for the first time next season, there will be closer collaboration between the two series. Part of this will see each Formula One team nominate a driver and badge one car with their livery.
This will be the latest move from Cisco, which has sponsored McLaren since 2021, to support greater gender diversity in motorsport. The US-based company collaborated with McLaren on the 60 Scholars programme, an initiative supporting women in STEM career pathways.
Comment:
Carrie Palin, senior vice p resident and chief marketing officer at Cisco, said: “We are always looking to align our brand with programmes that foster greater diversity and align to Cisco’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all. The McLaren F1 Academy programme was a natural opportunity for us to expand on our partnership with McLaren Racing, and support Bianca as she strives to pave new opportunities for women in motorsports.”
Coming next:
Every F1 Academy entrant is required to bring €150,000 (US$158,000) in funding for a full season, so the support provided from Formula One teams and sponsors is crucial. With a global calendar confirmed for next season, this support becomes even more important. W Series took a risk expanding beyond its means too early in the hopes it would be offset by an increase in sponsorship revenue and investment, but paid the price due to a lack of support from Formula One. Hopefully, lessons have been learned.