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Reuters
28-03-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
F1 return to V10 or V8 engines is years away, says Symonds
LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Formula One may have to wait a decade for a return to screaming V10 or V8 engines and jettisoning the next generation V6 due to be introduced next year is simply not feasible, according to F1's former chief technical officer Pat Symonds. The Briton, now executive engineering consultant for the Cadillac team due to debut next year, told Reuters any talk of potentially continuing with the current turbo hybrid beyond 2025 was a non-starter. Formula One has been considering various directions including a return, powered by sustainable fuel, to the ear-splitting naturally-aspirated V10 engines that were last raced in 2005 and whose noise is still missed by many. "I think there's a lot of wishful thinking," said Symonds after a panel discussion at the BlackBook Motorsport Forum in London. "With so much invested in the 2026 engine it would be negligent to throw that investment away -- particularly for the new people like Cadillac, Audi, Red Bull Powertrains who have had to start from scratch and produce an engine which needs a reasonable life to pay that back. "Maybe it won't have a 10-year life but it sure as hell needs more than a two-year life for something like that, because the risk otherwise is that Audi might just say 'well, it's not so long. We're going to go'." The new engine era, a major upheaval for the sport, is due to run from 2026 to 2030. Symonds said the sport did not have to follow five-year cycles, and recent F1 engines have had a lifespan of double that length. He dismissed "crazy ideas" of continuing with the existing engine. "Audi can't do that," he said of the German manufacturer set to debut next year with its own engine after turning Sauber into a works team. "We (Cadillac) have designed a car to fit a Ferrari 2026 engine. We suspect a Ferrari 2025 engine wouldn't fit in that car." Red Bull are switching from Honda units to their own in-house built powertrain while Aston Martin move from Mercedes to Honda. Symonds said a switch could happen eventually but a high-revving V8 made more sense than a V10 providing it was efficient, with a fuel flow limit and some mild hybridisation. "I personally think a V10 is not necessarily a good racing engine," he said. "A V8 probably is. I often feel that the V10 was sort of the result of the discussion between whether we should have a V8 or a V12. It's a typical sort of committee decision." He recognised noise was important to fans as part of the entertainment, but sustainability was key for sponsors, and said there should not be any knee-jerk reactions. "We won't go back to a V8 or a V10 or a V12 as it used to be many years ago," he added. "We've learned an awful lot in the last 11 years now of how to run these engines very, very lean. And we need to continue with that. "It must not be a retrograde step. We've got to keep pushing forward."
Reuters
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Formula One seeks to drive engagement through betting
LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Formula One is looking to drive fan engagement by using its vast array of data to create more betting opportunities, the sport's director of commercial partnerships Jonny Haworth said on Thursday. Recent figures from Nielsen Sports put Formula One's global fandom at 826.5 million, 12% more than in 2023, with a 39% increase in fans following in China over the last 12 months due to the post-COVID return of the country's race in Shanghai. "We're sort of on a journey in the betting space at the moment," Haworth told the BlackBook Motorsport Forum in London on Thursday. "I think we make up 0.4% of the overall global betting handle, which is pretty crazy for a sport of the size of Formula One and with a sport that has low latency data at a high volume which is what drives betting." Formula One, whose cars have an array of sensors on them delivering billions of data points, last month announced San Diego-based ALT Sports Data as its official betting data supplier. It said ALT would develop betting-focused real-time predictive analytics for Formula One as well as proprietary data and priced odds for the betting industry. "We're working incredibly hard to try and figure out how we open up an engaging betting product that enables people not to just look at outcome betting but to use the data of the sport to be able to engage in various different in-play betting," said Haworth. "We just believe that to be a huge engagement tool... I think there are many different ways to engage in the sport (other) than sitting and watching a two-hour broadcast and that is one way that drives a lot of engagement." The 2025 season, with 24 races but no major rule changes before a new engine era in 2026, is expected to be one of the closest yet after four teams and seven different drivers won races last year. "This season is a great season to really focus on our betting because we're going to see so much jeopardy on the track and who knows what's going to happen with the regulation changes next year," said Haworth. Betting on Formula One has been tricky for the sport, with team orders being a feature and gambling barred in the Islamic world with four races in the Middle East. There are also concerns about gambling and young fans, a key demographic for a sport that has seen rapid growth thanks in part to the popularity of the Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive'.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Relo Metrics Expands Census Product into Formula One and Advances Sponsorship Valuation for the Global Motorsports Industry
Using Computer-Vision Powered Scene Detection, Relo Adds Sponsorship Valuation of all F1 Races, Teams, Brands as Sponsorship Spend Looks to Reach $2.9 Billion Revenue in 2025 SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 27, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(GumGum Sports Inc.) Relo Metrics, a leading AI-driven sponsorship, data, and analytics platform for real-time data-driven decisions, today announced that its Relo Census product now includes Formula One (F1), bringing a first-of-its-kind, census-level data set to one of the world's most prestigious and fastest-growing sports. This expansion enables F1 brands, teams, and agencies to benchmark sponsorship performance, track brand exposure, and optimize investments, with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The official launch of Relo Census for F1 coincided with the 2025 season opener at the Australian Grand Prix on March 15. Additionally, BlackBook Motorsport Forum, taking place on March 27, 2025 in London will be the launchpad for Relo's latest innovation in motorsports sponsorship measurement — bringing, AI-powered analytics to high-speed racing environments. As part of the launch, CEO Jay Prasad will be on site to share insights on how these advancements are redefining brand valuation in motorsports. Relo Census: A Game-Changer for F1 Sponsorship Measurement The F1 series' sponsorship revenue is projected to hit $798 million this year. According to the SportsPro 'Formula One 2024 Business Report,' F1 is experiencing explosive commercial growth and attracting 100+ million weekly viewers, a global audience comparable to the Super Bowl. Sponsorship spend across F1 and its teams for the 2025 season is projected to reach more than $2.9 billion, an increase of ten percent year-over-year (YoY), according to a study by Ampere Analysis. Sponsorship deals have reached record-breaking levels, with LVMH signing a $1 billion, 10-year sponsorship deal starting in 2025, further proving that brands see F1 as a premium-tier global marketing platform. As more brands invest in the sport, they need faster, more accurate ways to measure their sponsorship impact. Yet, F1 sponsorship data and measurement have long been fragmented and slow, with teams and brands relying on delayed post-race reports that take weeks to be published, challenging teams and brands to make data-driven decisions between races, mid-season. Relo Census changes this by providing fast AI-driven insights and analytics, allowing brands to react quickly and optimize their strategies and investments throughout the season. "With its global reach and increasing brand investment, F1 sponsorship measurement needs are exploding along with its popularity. We're delivering innovation in the form of advanced computer vision models built specifically for the dynamics of race day," said Jay Prasad, CEO of Relo Metrics. "Expanding Relo Census into F1 is about more than just tracking sponsorship exposure; it's about bringing motorsports into a larger ecosystem of sponsorship valuation." Census enables brands to compare and optimize sponsorship performance across sports, ensuring they can capture opportunities to integrate into the sport and fan experience. This marks the 8th sport (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, WNBA, College Football) with census-level data, and our first truly global data asset for both brand exposures and audience viewership around the world. AI-Powered Precision By partnering with NVIDIA and its NV-CLIP NIMS multi-modal AI model, Relo Census is redefining how sponsorship visibility is tracked and measured in F1. Traditional methods struggle to accurately capture fast-moving brand placements on cars traveling at over 200+ MPH, often relying on manual annotation or delayed post-race analysis. Relo Census eliminates these limitations using advanced AI-driven automation to detect, categorize, and quantify brand exposure. Brands can now compare F1 sponsorship performance analysis and comparison across multiple sports leagues and media environments. Seamless API integration ensures brands, teams, and agencies can easily access and incorporate data into custom sponsorship models and marketing analytics. "The speed of insights is crucial in motorsports sponsorships," said Liane Morgese, Vice President & Co-Head of Insights and Analytics, Brand Consulting at Creative Artists Agency. "With Relo Census, we can now measure brand exposure with real-time accuracy and adjust strategies mid-season, which was previously challenging. This platform is truly revolutionizing how brands engage with F1 sponsorships." Expanding Beyond F1 Relo Metrics' expansion into Formula 1 is just the first step in a broader transformation of motorsport sponsorship measurement. As Formula E, WEC, MotoGP, and other emerging racing leagues continue to attract global attention, Relo Census is poised to bring AI-powered analytics across the entire motorsport landscape, ensuring brands and teams have access to real-time, comparative insights across multiple racing series. Join Us at the BlackBook Motorsport Forum Jay Prasad and the Relo European Team will be having conversations around F1's sponsorship evolution and the future of motorsport analytics at the BlackBook Motorsport Forum in London on March 27, 2025. The event brings together global decision-makers to explore innovation, sustainability, and commercial success in motorsports. For more details, visit the BlackBook Motorsport Forum. For those attending the BlackBook Motorsport Forum, Jay Prasad will be available for one-on-one meetings to discuss how Relo Census can elevate sponsorship measurement in motorsports. To schedule a meeting, please contact marketing@ About Relo Metrics Relo Metrics is an AI-powered sponsorship analytics company transforming how brands, teams, and agencies measure sponsorship effectiveness across live sports and entertainment. By combining computer vision, machine learning, and real-time analytics, Relo Metrics delivers precise, automated insights that drive higher ROI and better decision-making in sports sponsorships. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Hannah Shain, VP Marketing, Relo Metrics, Season Skuro (US) / Shawn Belluigi (EMEA), Bubble Agency, relo@
