Danny Herbert

Contributors: Danny Herbert, Robert Percy

To race in Formula 1 you’ve got to be fast. That’s a given. Nobody who’s lap times in a Formula 1 car are closer to that of a lap in Formula 2 machinery would be granted the super licence points to line up on the F1 grid.

Nevertheless, it is also important to have plenty of financial backing behind you. Getting onto the grid takes a huge amount of cash, whoever you are.

To get to the point of even being considered for a drive at an F1 team, these drivers will have navigated through multiple championships. They may have been paid for some of those drives along the way, but young drivers also often contribute financially to teams for seats in the lower formulae. That’s just the nature of motorsport.

The age-old saying ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ has never been more pertinent than in motorsport. This is where commercial partnerships come in for our rookie drivers. Huge commercial outfits often team up with young drivers in the hope they’ll climb the racing ladder to ultimate success. These young drivers simply getting this chance thanks to the sponsor’s backing brings with it the promise of even greater return on the sponsor’s investment.

Sponsorships are big business – not just a sticker on a car – with engaging activations and content capture now a key part of effective sponsorship strategies that adds lots of exciting layers to a partnership.

dannyherbert.com has published articles in the past exploring the personal sponsors of Sergio Perez. Perez’s departure ensured Liam Lawson stepped up to replace Perez and rookie Isack Hadjar’s move into the vacant Racing Bulls seat.

Hadjar’s notable and interesting array of personal sponsors are definitely worth keeping in mind as we head into the new season.

Isack Hadjar

First up on Hadjar’s roster is the FFSA which, to give it its full title the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile, has supported Hadjar throughout his junior racing career through its academy’s Parcours d’Excellence programme. Based at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, the programme puts drivers through ‘rigorous training’ to compete in top-level motorsport.

Other sponsors of Hadjar include NH Expertises, Swing One (a digital services company) and Pitlegend (an automotive memorabilia and collectables company).

Hadjar’s list of sponsors does look very impressive – and it certainly wouldn’t have been plain and easy sailing to attract and secure these sponsors. When the prospect of becoming an F1 driver seems so far away, it must have taken a lot of effort (and a bit of haggling!) to get all the backing Hadjar now has.

“It’s been tough and I can’t even imagine how tough it was for [my parents] because I was just focused on the driving side,” Hadjar revealed in an interview with F2.

“They went through a lot of financial difficulties to get me to motorsport and they fought hard to get sponsors and get me a drive, until I got picked by Red Bull, so that was a bit of a relief. Until then, it was really a tough journey for them.”

Oliver Bearman

The Aventum Group makes up a significant part of Oliver Bearman’s sponsorship. The reinsurance company is spearheaded by Founder and CEO, David Bearman. If that last name looks familiar, that’s because David is Oliver’s father.

A young David Bearman founded the company (then named Direct Insurance) in 1996. Aventum provides ‘specialty reinsurance’ trading across six continents. Bearman’s father’s company continues to be his most prominent backer as he heads into his first full season in F1 with Haas.

Another personal sponsor of the British driver is Eurospares, a parts supplier of new and used components for supercar brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche and Aston Martin. Eurospares being a supplier for Ferrari could certainly come in handy considering Haas’ links to the Italian manufacturer.

A fintech startup, Deus X, is another of Bearman’s listed backers. The company’s aim is said to be ‘unlocking value in capital markets, fintech and digital assets, with a focus on building a new financial system in which everyone can prosper.’ The value of this partnership is unknown, but it makes up a rather intriguing sponsor list that Bearman is set to bring with him into F1.

Gabriel Bortoleto

It’s all change at Sauber for 2025, with an all-new driver line-up and the organisation’s purchase by Audi AG now officially completed. Its driver line-up will consist of experience and young blood with veteran Nico Hulkenberg, a man with plenty of F1 experience yet still without a podium or a race win, pairing up with rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.

It’s Bortoleto who arguably has the most impressive array of backers out of this season’s rookie drivers, kicking off with BRB (Banco de Brasília). This is a majority government-owned Brazilian bank which has appeared on Bortoleto’s racing cars for some time.

KTF Sports, a driving academy based in Brazil, is a key partner of Bortoleto’s as well. His older brother Enzo is currently the CEO of the business.

Brazilian insurance company Porto is next on the list, having partnered with the Sauber driver for some time. The beachwear brand Barthelemy is also a key backer, offering ‘custom-made beach shorts’ designed with ‘the most modern fabrics on the market’.

Another brand from Bortoleto’s home country is next up and said to be the ‘largest perfumery company in Brazil’. Malbec, part of the O Boticario group, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024.

Last but not least is a brand which provides a rather interesting quandary for those involved. Snapdragon, a processor brand by Qualcomm, is a keen backer of Bortoleto which also currently sponsors the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team. Will it shift its team sponsorship over to the Sauber-Audi operation? Or could Snapdragon move away from Bortoleto altogether and stand firm with Mercedes?

It’s clear then that the backing behind Bortoleto would have been a nice sweetener to his deal with the Sauber-Audi operation. But Bortoleto is no undeserving pay driver, having won the F2 championship in 2024 and therefore arriving in F1 with his stock high (and expectations, too).

But, with Audi and all its German car manufacturer counterparts seemingly struggling more than ever, Bortoleto’s value will perhaps come in handy just as much as his brilliant talents behind the wheel.