5 Biggest Mistakes Brands Make With Partner Content in F1 and Motorsport

(And how to fix them)

Sponsoring an F1 team opens your brand up to millions of highly engaged fans, but that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically care.

Motorsport audiences are some of the smartest and most discerning on social. They will not tolerate ads disguised as “content”, and they’re quick to call out anything that feels inauthentic, off-tone, or irrelevant.

After working inside a team, reviewing hundreds of ideas, and helping partners shape F1 partner content that actually performs, these are the biggest ways brands trip up — and how to avoid them.

1. Making an ad, not social-first content

This is the single biggest mistake I see in F1 partner content and F1 brand activations: treating team channels like a media placement for your product.

An OOH campaign, polished TVC, or generic brand commercial repurposed for social will not work. Fans scroll straight past anything that feels corporate, scripted or “salesy”.

What social-first actually means:

• Built for how people behave on social, not how brands behave in campaigns

• Fast, entertaining, emotional, or humorous

• Story-led, not product-led

• Feels native to the team’s channels and tone

• Makes fans feel something before it tells them something

F1 fans are among the most highly engaged audiences in any sport. They instantly know when they’re being sold to, and they don’t want F1 sponsorship content forced into their feeds. The first question should always be:

Why should fans care about this?
What’s in it for them: entertainment, access, insight, or a moment they haven’t seen before?

Fix it: Start with the fan. Build entertainment, insight, personality, or story first. Let the brand message sit underneath as a subtle layer, not the headline.

2. Not aligning with the team’s tone and storytelling

This is the fastest way to tank a piece of F1 partner content. If your activation feels like a completely different brand dropped onto the team’s channels, fans will reject it immediately.

What works on your socials may not work on the team’s. Teams understand their humour, pacing, visual identity and what their audience wants on race week versus downtime. This is foundational to any modern F1 marketing strategy.

Fix it: Adapt, don’t copy-paste. Use the team's existing tone, visual identity personality, and narrative style. When partner content blends naturally into the team ecosystem, performance improves instantly, and fans stay engaged.

If you want more insights like this, subscribe to The Outlap Briefing.

3. Relying too heavily on generic influencers

Motorsport fans do not want to see random influencers doing “behind the scenes” paddock content, scripted fan interviews, staged reactions or hot-lap videos with people who have zero connection to the sport.

These pieces of F1 sponsorship content often lead to backlash because fans see it as access being wasted. And they’re right: most fans will never experience Paddock Club or hot laps, so glamorising those experiences through people with no credibility feels alienating, not exciting.

When influencer content does work:

• They’re genuine fans of the team

• They have a relevant niche (fitness, tech, engineering, gaming, art, sport)

• They add value: personality, storytelling, humour, insight, not just access

• The content isn’t overly scripted or polished

Fix it: Use influencers strategically. Pick people who genuinely connect with the sport or can deliver something meaningful to fans, not just people with reach.

4. Chasing gimmicks instead of storytelling

It’s easy to put drivers into a gimmick for quick likes or jump on a trend because “it will do numbers”. But without a narrative, those moments become disposable, forgettable and off-brand.

Fans want long-term story arcs, recognisable series, and content that expands their understanding of the team, tech or culture. That’s what builds real ROI in motorsport content strategy.

A gimmick without a story isn’t just weak, it’s confusing and forgettable.

Fix it: Think evergreen, not reactive.
Ask:

• What story are we telling?

• Why are we the right brand to tell it?

• How does this fit into the season-long narrative?

Build concepts that can return, evolve, or become a recognisable pillar. That’s what delivers long-term value.

5. Owning the wrong storytelling space

A common issue in F1 brand activations is brands choosing themes that don’t fit who they are. Examples:

• A tech company making travel diaries

• A finance brand doing lifestyle content with no link to their product

• A logistics partner posting memes or low-effort humour

• A B2B brand trying to speak to casual fans instead of decision-makers

The result? Content that feels disconnected, confusing or irrelevant. Fans end up asking:

“Why is this brand talking about this?”

The best-performing F1 partner content sits in a territory the brand can authentically own — where their product, expertise or worldview overlaps naturally with motorsport.

Fix it: Own your lane. Choose the storytelling space that aligns with your business, strengths, and value within the team. Then build recognisable, repeatable content in that space — not outside it.

Final thought

Formula 1 is one of the most powerful storytelling platforms in the world, but only for brands that understand how fans think and how social actually works.

If you avoid these mistakes and focus on authenticity, narrative, and team alignment, your F1 partner content won’t just perform — it will actually feel like a valuable part of the sport.

If you liked this breakdown, you’ll enjoy The Outlap Briefing — my weekly take on F1 partner content, brand activations and social-first strategy.