Welcome to Erise’s new Trademarks and our Favorite Sports Quarterly (we’re workshopping the name) and it’s the first Grand Prix week of 2026 for FORMULA 1TM fans! And, for those of us trademark and legal nerds, there is no greater sport for branding than FORMULA 1, so let’s get into it!
First, we’ve discussed the pitfalls that brand owners need to think about in co-branding deals in the past. But if the goal is reaching a large audience, brand owners know that FORMULA 1 checks a lot of boxes with its sponsor visibility. For example, at any time during a two-plus-hour race, sponsor brands remain in constant view for television audiences, whether it’s the OnBoard view that perches above the driver’s helmet, showing the sponsor’s marks emblazoned on the car’s halo. Or it may be the full livery view, reflecting, in some cases, dozens of brands of varying size and prominence on the car's body. Even the driver uniforms are a mélange of brands all battling for inches on the chest, back, arm or hat. And its these brands that serve as the backbone for the business of FORMULA 1.
But that visibility cuts both ways and the stakes are enormous. When a sponsor’s intellectual property becomes the subject of a dispute, the exposure is just as global. A few seasons ago, Haas F1 Team learned that lesson the hard way when its title sponsor, Rich Energy, was found by a UK court to have infringed the logo of Whyte Bikes. The stag logo at issue wasn’t tucked away on packaging—it was splashed across the car, the uniforms, and every broadcast feed. What was meant to be a high-visibility branding coup became a mid-season liability, ultimately contributing to the collapse of the sponsorship.
Second, that brings us to the business of FORMULA 1 and how those pitfalls we’ve previously talked about impact FORMULA 1 sponsors. The only way the co-branding system of FORMULA 1 works is through strong protection and co-branding agreements that ensure all sponsors respect each other’s marks and agree not to dilute or misuse competitor or other third-party brands in the FORMULA 1 arena. And this approach has worked well historically, with thousands of sponsors managing to play in the same sandbox well over the decades.
And why wouldn’t they? A co-branding agreement on any one of the 11 teams’ cars ensures a splashy livery reveal—during the Super Bowl, no less, if you co-brand with Cadillac—and steady visibility for the entire season, from March to December, far longer than most other sports’ seasons.
Before its “lights out” in Australia and in honor of the start of FORMULA 1’s 2026 season, our biggest F1 fans on the trademark team put together an F1 bingo card. Fastest blackout wins!
