Motorsport
PUMA signed a multi-year agreement with Formula 1 to become the official licensing partner with exclusive on-track sales rights
Global brand PUMA and Formula 1 have signed an agreement under which PUMA will become the official supplier of Formula 1 racing and will acquire the right to produce F1-branded apparel, footwear and accessories. PUMA will also dress Formula 1 employees on track and design Formula 1 fanwear to appeal to different sports fans with exciting lifestyle and motoring collections. The contract also includes exclusive rights to sell apparel to F1 fans and all ten participating race teams from 2024.
PUMA has a long and successful history in motorsport, having developed flame retardant overalls, racing shoes and other high-performance racing equipment for F1 drivers since the mid-1980s, as well as team jerseys, fanwear and lifestyle collections for some of the sport’s most successful teams.
Currently, PUMA is one of the leading suppliers of racing equipment and lifestyle collections in motorsport, working with teams such as Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, BMW M Motorsport and Porsche Motorsport.
Formula 1 has seen a huge rise in popularity in recent years and its fan base is becoming increasingly young and diverse. Television viewership of the races is also on the rise, with some of them being watched by a total of 1.5 billion viewers.
Own attendance at 2022 races has also reached record levels, and motorsport is also gaining ground on social media. The new collaboration gives PUMA the opportunity to further cement its privileged position in the sport by reaching a broader fan base, tapping into diverse customer groups and using inspiration from trackwear to create fashion for casual wear.
“PUMA has become the most authentic and trusted sports brand in motorsport and has the expertise to create the best products for the world’s leading riders and teams and their fans,” said Arne Freundt, CEO of PUMA.
“The influence of motorsport, and Formula 1 in particular, on the culture of sports and leisurewear has grown significantly in recent years. Our new collaboration with Formula 1 offers an exciting opportunity to further explore this connection between motorsport and lifestyle. PUMA has always stood at the intersection of sport and fashion, and we feel we are ideally placed to translate the culture of sport into relevant streetwear collections and boost the brand’s resonance with a young, affluent and diverse audience.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said, ” With F1’s growing popularity around the world, we are able to reach new fans through exciting collaborations and see Formula 1 penetrate previously unseen areas of mainstream culture. PUMA has a rich history in motorsport, making it the perfect partner for F1 to take sportswear for fans, paddock drivers and everyone else to a whole new level.”
PUMA’s subsidiary PUMA stichd, which sells licensed fan apparel as well as footwear, underwear and swimwear, will operate exclusive fan stores during race weekends. They will sell licensed Formula One products as well as replica team jerseys, fan apparel and special collections from all ten teams on the Formula One and F1 Legend grid.
“Selling fan apparel at every F1 race is a fun and challenging project because the conditions at each track are different, from the slopes of Zeltweg and Spa to the city centres of Monaco and Baku,” said Nina Nix, CEO of stichd.
“Regardless of where the race is held, stichd will provide a truly special experience for fans, and it will be much more than just selling fan apparel.”
Stichd will operate up to 65 mobile stores at more than 20 races in 19 different countries, providing a total of more than 4,000square metres of sales space. The stores will be designed to be durable and lightweight so they can be efficiently transported from one event to another.
The first PUMA x Formula 1 products will be available in PUMA stores worldwide and on PUMA.com from 2024.
