Sponsorship in Formula 1: the true value of a team

The story takes place in a hotel room in January 1979. A man, David Thieme, boss of the Essex oil company, who invested $50 for a small space on the engine hood of the team's single-seaters. Lotus struggles to see his company logo. “We don’t see much!” », he said to his interlocutor, bringing his head closer to the small television screen. “Find a solution, I want bigger!” », he adds. François Mazet, a distinguished driver from the late 000s, in charge of the firm's sponsorship, immediately called Colin Chapman to tell him that Essex wanted more space, the entire engine hood in fact. She ultimately inherited the pontoons for $1970 (the equivalent of $300 million today) before becoming the title sponsor of the British team in 000.

Forty-five years later, the teams' commercial partners are still the crux of the matter, except that prices have soared.