The importance of Haas' new title sponsor

There is only one constructor which comes to mind when you say "poor marketing": Haas F1 Team. The American outfit has worn the unwanted indignity of several poor sponsorship and brand deals in the past few years. Now, more than ever, they need to find the right companies to back them, as we investigate the why.

The rationale

Haas remains the youngest team on the grid as an entirely new contender in the sport. Bursting onto the scene in 2016, the American team proved that teams could successfully outsource key areas of car development while still having a reasonable amount of success within the sport.

F1 is a sport where advertising money is crucial to achieving success. Teams and drivers receive many offers to market certain brands depending on their marketability and on-track success. As the only US team on the grid, they could certainly lean into this branding to try and lure in an interested advertising party from the American region. Especially with the new regulations, this could allow Haas to push up and meet their budget cap as closely as possible.

The past

The most recent well-known advertising farce has to be the Rich Energy saga in the 2019 season. Signing an agreement to be the title sponsor, the British Energy drinks manufacturer contractually promised to provide payments through the season in exchange for their branding on the car and a livery change. However, as it was found that Rich Energy was not providing them with the agreed-upon payments as well as undermining their on-track performances, the sponsorship deal was terminated midway through the season.

By hiring Nikita Mazepin for their 2020 and 2021 campaign, Haas were able to acquire sponsorship from Uralkali (a company owned by Mazepin’s father). While the company was certainly well-furnished with funds to compete in F1, the notion of money being provided by a Russian oligarch was a not-so-pleasant feeling to many. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Haas found Nikita Mazepin’s familial relation to the conflict as a high concern, resulting in his position being untenable. For a long time, the team remained without a title sponsor. 

What Haas needs

First and foremost, Haas needs a stable source. For far too long they have been plagued by controversial figures surrounding their operations which has caused them to be distracted from their core ambition of finding their way back to the front of the midfield. Haas now needs a stable title partnership, with an advertising pedigree, in order to receive the funds it needs.

Haas now hosts a reliable partnership with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg as well. The team is now finally fielding two drivers without a poor media presence and a decent ability to avoid incidents on-track. The team can prove that their driving lineup is stronger than in previous seasons, a maiden pole in 2022 and a renewed vigour with the new regulations, Haas now have the strength to garner the support they need for a sustainable future in F1.

A few months ago, MoneyGram confirmed themselves as title sponsors for the Haas F1 Team for the 2023 season. This will see an adjustment to the name and branding for a multi-season deal and provide the racing team with funds to begin their push up the grid in this new era of F1.