If you follow F1 races and even travel to follow these events (and, of course, inhale the smell of the gasoline!), you are probably familiar with all the sponsors that support this sport. One would expect sports brands, energy drinks, tire firms, gas and oil companies, and alike to be leading players here. However, there have been fascinating examples of unusual sponsorship in F1 races, some of them being: ‘OMG, what is this??!!’
Durex
This brand is well known for condom producing but back in 1976, and the firm had a joint venture with London Rubber Company, a sponsor for Surtees team with world champion John Surtees behind the wheels. Unfortunately, the deal included Durex stickers all over his car, which was a big problem for some TV houses, including the BBC. In the end, BBC conditioned airing of the race by removing these stickers – they said Durex as a sponsor is unacceptable for family viewing. But, of course, the champion didn’t want to remove anything, so the famous BBC packed cameras and left the event.
Entain
This company is London based sportsbook and gaming operator, and recently it has signed a multi-year deal with McLaren Racing. Their brands appear on the cars and driver Daniel Ricciardo’s helmets. “Similar to Betsafe’s sportsbook lobby (you can check it out here), Entain also has a dedicated access platform where fans can get exclusive content and experience. Moreover, McLaren-themed content on Entain’s web pages, and users can win numerous things, including access to the Technology Center run by McLaren.“
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Aerosmith, Taylor Swift, and Abba
Showbiz is not unfamiliar with the high world of F1 races, so even some bands and singers like Aerosmith, Taylor Swift, and Abba showed interest in this field. The year is 2012, and NASCAR, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Taylor Swift are together. Is something wrong with this story? All fit in because there is a vast Taylor’s head on Montoya’s car promoting her new album ‘Red.’ Back in 2001, Aerosmith was a sponsor for Indianapolis 500 race for Heritage Motorsports car with driver Jeff Ward. All this was supposed to be a good promotion for the band’s new album, but in the end, Ward finished 24th, so plans didn’t turn out exactly as they were supposed to be. Long before this, in 1981, Slim Borgudd, drummer for famous Swedish band Abba, wanted to enter F1 races, so he did it and also put Abba stickers all around his car, hoping to attract investors. In the end, only the lines have left: ‘Money, money, money, must be funny in a rich man’s world!’
Penthouse Magazine and Japanese plastic surgery clinic
’70s vibes on the F1 cars. Penthouse Magazine sponsorship which included pinup girl holding rolling paper. We just wonder what they would BBC say on this because this magazine was softcore pornographic. But in 1995, McLaren had Tokyo Ueno Clinic as the primary sponsor. The name doesn’t show much but journalists discovered a plastic surgery clinic specializing in male genitalia.
Do you need more unusual sponsors? Let’s name Viagra, Xena: Warrior Princess, Angry Birds, and so on.