Formula 1 Sponsor Brands: Who Owns Them

Oracle pays Red Bull Racing $110 million per year. HP pays Ferrari $100 million. Mastercard pays McLaren $90 million. Aramco pays Aston Martin $75 million. Petronas pays Mercedes approximately $80 million. The 2026 Formula 1 grid features the most expensive sponsorship deals in the sport's history, with total sponsorship spend projected to exceed $3 billion according to Ampere Analysis.

Behind every sponsor is a corporate parent with a strategy. Oracle is a $400 billion enterprise technology company. HP is a global computing hardware brand. Aramco is a state-owned oil company. Mastercard is a publicly traded payment network. The brands on the cars are not standalone entities making marketing decisions. They are sub-brands of corporate parents whose ownership structures determine how and why they spend.

We traced the ownership behind every F1 team and its title sponsor to build the complete picture of who owns what on the 2026 grid.

The F1 Sponsorship Economy

The 2026 F1 season features 11 teams. The top five title sponsorship deals alone are worth over $500 million per year combined.

Series-level sponsors include Aramco, AWS, DHL, Heineken, Lenovo, Salesforce, Rolex (via LVMH), and Pirelli. New 2026 entrants include Audi (with Revolut and Adidas) and Cadillac (with Tommy Hilfiger and Jim Beam).

Technology is the biggest spending sector at $565 million, with HP and Oracle accounting for a quarter of that figure alone. Financial services is the second-largest sector.

Red Bull Racing: Red Bull GmbH

Complete control of the two "Bull" teams rests solely with Red Bull GmbH. The Yoovidhya family owns 51 percent and Mark Mateschitz owns 49 percent. Red Bull acquired an F1 team when they purchased Jaguar from Ford in 2005 for approximately $1.

Oracle's title sponsorship is worth approximately $110 million per year, the highest on the grid. The deal began in 2021 and became a full title partnership in 2022. Ahead of the 2026 season, Oracle and Red Bull announced a multi-year extension. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure powers Red Bull Ford Powertrains' next-generation hybrid power unit, race-strategy simulations, and an AI-powered strategy agent.

Other Red Bull sponsors include Yeti, Cisco, New Era, and Ford (as an engine partner for 2026). Red Bull GmbH is privately owned. No public shareholders. No board of directors to answer to. The Yoovidhya family and Mark Mateschitz make the decisions.

Scuderia Ferrari HP: Ferrari S.p.A.

Ferrari's ownership structure is layered. Exor N.V. (the Agnelli family holding company) owns 22.91 percent. Piero Ferrari owns 10 percent. The remaining 67.09 percent is publicly traded on the Borsa Italiana.

HP's title partnership with Scuderia Ferrari was introduced in 2024 and extended into 2026 at approximately $100 million per year. The partnership is a technology integration as much as a naming-rights arrangement. HP supplies high-performance computing infrastructure and consumer electronics co-branding rights, with HP's computing hardware supporting the team's design and simulation work at Maranello.

Other Ferrari sponsors include Richard Mille, Brembo, ZYN (Philip Morris International), Adidas, Shell, Puma, and Ray-Ban. Ferrari is worth approximately $6.5 billion as a company. The racing team is a factory team, meaning Ferrari builds both the chassis and the engine.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas: Mercedes-Benz Group, Toto Wolff, INEOS

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has three shareholders. Mercedes-Benz AG, Ineos Industries Holdings (Jim Ratcliffe), and Motorsport Invest Limited (Toto Wolff). Each owns approximately a third. Wolff sold 15 percent of his holding to George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, in a recent transaction.

Petronas pays approximately $80 million per year as title sponsor. The Malaysian state-owned oil and gas company has been Mercedes' title partner since 2010. The deal is one of the longest-running title sponsorships on the grid.

Tech sponsors include AMD, SAP, WhatsApp, Cisco, Adidas, IWC Schaffhausen, and Microsoft. Mercedes-Benz Group is publicly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. INEOS is a privately held chemicals company. Wolff's Motorsport Invest Limited is a private investment vehicle.

McLaren: McLaren Group (Mumtalakat)

Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain, took full ownership of the McLaren Group. MSP Sports Capital purchased a 33 percent stake. CYVN Holdings completed the full purchase of McLaren Automotive separately.

McLaren Mastercard is the title sponsorship at approximately $90 million per year, the third-largest deal on the grid. The partnership began in 2026, replacing previous title arrangements.

McLaren is worth approximately $4.4 billion. The ownership structure combines a sovereign wealth fund (Mumtalakat), American private equity (MSP Sports Capital), and Abu Dhabi investment (CYVN Holdings). It is the most ownership-diverse team on the grid.

Aston Martin: Aramco and the Stroll Family

Aramco contributes approximately $75 million per year to Aston Martin. It is the only sponsor name in Aston Martin's team name. The team is owned by Lawrence Stroll's consortium, which includes private investors from the luxury and automotive sectors.

Honda returns as an engine partner with Aston Martin for 2026, marking a significant technical partnership. Aramco's involvement extends beyond the team to a series-level F1 sponsorship, making the state-owned oil company the largest single sponsor on the grid when team and series deals are combined.

Aston Martin Lagonda is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange, but the F1 team is controlled by Stroll's investment group. The ownership structure means a Canadian billionaire's consortium runs a team named after a British luxury car brand, sponsored by a Saudi state-owned oil company, powered by Japanese engines.

Audi and Cadillac: New Entrants for 2026

Audi acquired a 25 percent stake in the Sauber team in early 2023 as preparation for a full takeover in 2026. The team is now a full factory team, meaning Audi builds its own engines. Audi is owned by Volkswagen Group.

Audi's launch partners include Revolut (title sponsor at approximately $75 million per year) and Adidas. Other partners include Visit Qatar, BP (and its Castrol brand), Hyatt Hotels, Gillette, NinjaOne, Paulaner beer, and Piquadro. Audi's CMO Stefano Battiston said the team's goal is to "bring Formula 1 to the people" rather than bringing people to Formula 1.

Cadillac is the other new entrant. The company which ultimately owns the F1 team is TWG Global. The entity is "TWG Cadillac Formula 1 Team LLC." General Motors has made an investment. Sponsors include Tommy Hilfiger and Jim Beam. Cadillac is the only team on the 2026 grid without a confirmed title sponsor, pursuing a strategy of multiple mid-level partnerships rather than a single naming-rights deal.

The Series-Level Sponsors

F1 itself is backed by series-level sponsors: Aramco, AWS, DHL, Heineken, Lenovo, Salesforce, Rolex (via LVMH), and Pirelli.

Oracle leads at approximately $110 million per year. McLaren Mastercard is next at $90 million. Mercedes-AMG Petronas at $80 million. The series sponsors add another layer of corporate parentage. LVMH owns TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith. Rolex is distributed by LVMH in the F1 context. Pirelli is owned by Camfin S.p.A. and ChemChina. Heineken is owned by Heineken Holding.

For more on how Aramco's sponsorship spending reveals its ownership structure, see our post on who really pays for sports sponsorships.

What F1 Sponsorship Reveals About Brand Ownership

The 2026 F1 grid represents the full spectrum of corporate ownership structures.

Family-owned: Red Bull (Yoovidhya/Mateschitz), Ferrari (Agnelli via Exor).

Publicly traded: Ferrari (67 percent public), Mercedes-Benz Group.

Sovereign wealth fund: McLaren (Mumtalakat/Bahrain), Aston Martin (Aramco/Saudi Arabia).

Conglomerate subsidiary: Audi (Volkswagen Group), Cadillac (TWG Global + GM).

Private equity-backed: McLaren (MSP Sports Capital at 33 percent).

No other sport provides such a concentrated view of how different ownership structures approach the same marketing challenge. A family-owned energy drink company outspends a state-owned oil company, which outspends a publicly traded tech giant. The ownership structure does not determine the spending level. The commercial strategy does.

For more on how private and public ownership shapes brand strategy, see our post on private vs public company ownership.

FAQ

Who are the biggest sponsors in F1? Oracle pays Red Bull Racing approximately $110 million per year, the highest title sponsorship on the 2026 grid. HP pays Ferrari approximately $100 million. Mastercard pays McLaren $90 million. Petronas pays Mercedes approximately $80 million. Aramco pays Aston Martin approximately $75 million. Total F1 sponsorship spend is projected to exceed $3 billion in 2026.

Who owns each F1 team? Red Bull is owned by Red Bull GmbH (Yoovidhya family 51%, Mark Mateschitz 49%). Ferrari is owned by Exor/Agnelli family (22.91%), Piero Ferrari (10%), and public shareholders (67.09%). Mercedes is owned by Mercedes-Benz AG, INEOS (Jim Ratcliffe), and Toto Wolff in equal thirds. McLaren is owned by Mumtalakat (Bahrain sovereign wealth fund) with MSP Sports Capital at 33%. Aston Martin is owned by Lawrence Stroll's consortium. Audi is owned by Volkswagen Group. Cadillac is owned by TWG Global with GM investment.

How much do F1 sponsors pay? Title sponsorships range from $25 million to $110 million per year. The top five deals (Oracle, HP, Mastercard, Petronas, Aramco) total over $500 million annually. Series-level sponsorships add hundreds of millions more. Technology is the biggest spending sector at $565 million, followed by financial services and energy.

What new teams are entering F1 in 2026? Audi and Cadillac are the two new entrants for 2026. Audi took over the Sauber team and is a full factory team owned by Volkswagen Group, with Revolut as title sponsor. Cadillac is owned by TWG Global with GM investment and is the only team without a confirmed title sponsor.

Explore Related Brands

• Red Bull -- Privately owned by Red Bull GmbH; sponsors two F1 teams and multiple extreme sports
• Adidas -- Sponsors Ferrari, Mercedes, and Audi F1 teams; parent is Adidas AG
• Heineken -- F1 series sponsor; parent is Heineken Holding

Browse all brand ownership profiles

Also read: Who Really Pays for Sports Sponsorships -- the parent company story behind all sports sponsorship spending.

Sources

1. RacingNews365: Biggest F1 Team Sponsors (March 2026) -- https://racingnews365.com/biggest-f1-team-sponsors-red-bull-top-mega-f1-rich-list-ahead-of-ferrari 2. RTR Sports: F1 Team Title Sponsors 2026 -- https://rtrsports.com/en/blog/every-teams-title-sponsor-for-the-2026-formula-1-season/ 3. BlackBook Motorsport: The Business of F1 in 2026 -- https://www.blackbookmotorsport.com/features/f1-business-sponsorship-financial-broadcast-attendance/ 4. Oracle: Red Bull Racing Title Partnership Extension (February 2026) -- https://www.oracle.com/news/announcement/oracle-red-bull-racing-extends-title-partnership-with-oracle-2026-02-26/ 5. Sports Business Journal: Audi F1 Team Sponsors (June 2026) -- https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/06/25/audi-aims-to-bring-formula-1-to-the-people-with-first-year-team-sponsors/

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology. Last updated: August 2026.