She said that deal is currently being ironed out, but Cisco has found other ways to help drivers beyond the track—including offering them three-year sponsorship deals that can cover them either through their continued racing career, education, or other pursuits.
Driving opportunities
Sponsors are also finding new opportunities as their partnerships grow.
American Express debuted as a regional Formula 1 sponsor in October 2023 but came on board with F1 Academy at the end of April. Amex made its Academy debut with British driver Jess Edgar at the Miami Grand Prix but turned that single-season trial into a multiyear commitment in a new global Formula 1 sponsorship announced in October. As American Express chases the 300 million Formula 1 fans worldwide ages 18-34—the company’s fastest-growing customer base—it doesn’t want to speed past any portion of that group.
“As I told Susie when we met very early on, our support of women knows no bounds, and that was something that was really important,” said Shiz Suzuki, vp of global brand sponsorships and experiential marketing for American Express. “Even as we were negotiating the regional deal, we were talking to Formula One about our desire to support a women’s league or women in motorsports.”
Amex has also spread its support for driver Jess Edgar to women-owned small businesses whose logos they’ve attached to her car for every race weekend. When the company revealed Edgar’s car for the first time in Miami, it did so on a stage with Edgar, Wolff, singer and actress Camilla Cabello, and chef Monica “Mika” Leon—owner of South Florida kitchen Caja Caliente.
“When chef Mika saw the logo of her business come up on the livery of the car, she literally burst into tears,” Suzuki said. “She’s like, ‘I never imagined I’d be able to see this basically being shown worldwide,’ because of all the great work Susie’s done in terms of broadcast partnerships for F1 Academy, that logo is now being seen worldwide.”
