F1 Rumor: Ferrari Set to Sign $27 Billion Company as Title Sponsor

Yes, you read that right. Ferrari are set to sign a title sponsor. Scuderia Ferrari didn’t have a title sponsor for 2 years and now are rumored to be signing a deal with the $27 Billion tech giants. Just like how Lewis Hamilton split his way with Mercedes, this new title sponsor also split itself operations back in the day. And now the company that was split in 2015 is rumored to sign with Ferrari, just like Hamilton did. What’s even more intriguing is that the other half of the company that split from Ferrari’s rumored sponsor is currently Mercedes’ sponsor.

Were those enough hints for you to guess who Ferrari’s new title sponsor is going to be? If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s Hewlett-Packard (HP), the multi-billion dollar tech company. HP has previously been seen on F1 cars because of their sponsorships with BMW and then Sauber. The Blue and White livery went well with the HP logo. But imagining the HP logo on the Red Ferrari puts us a little off.

But what’s in the looks, it is the money that these sponsors bring that matters.  Aston Martin put the pink BWT line on the British racing green livery after all. According to Sportbusiness.com, HP is offering Ferrari the same amount of money that Oracle offered Red Bull for the title sponsorship, i.e. $500 million. And this money is super crucial, especially with Lewis Hamilton and the new 2026 regulations coming in.

Mission Winnow was the title sponsor partnership that Ferrari had, which ended after the 2021 season. And Ferrari must feel the need of a title sponsor after offering Lewis Hamilton a salary of $100 Million. Afterall, keeping the financials in check is as important as the engineering aspect of an F1 car. But why does HP want to enter F1? Well, an F1 car has always been like a huge billboard for any sponsor, that goes around at 200+ mph, and being associated with a name like Ferrari only makes it better.

And with the growth of F1, being a sponsor is more desirable than ever. That’s why we’ve seen sponsors like Google make its way to F1. And even seen Elon Musk and Jeff Bezoz in F1 garages. But why did Ferrari leave its title sponsor from 2021?

Why did Ferrari’s Relationship with Mission Winnow come to an end?

Mission Winnow first appeared on the Ferrari cars during the 2018 season, when Philip Morris launched the Mission Winnow initiative. Ferrari had a long relationship with Philip Morris in terms of sponsorships in the form of Marlboro. It was back when Tobacco Sponsorships were still allowed in F1. But slowly the sponsorship guidelines became strict to the point that now alcohol and tobacco sponsorship aren’t allowed in F1.

It was initially in February of 2022 when the title sponsorship between Mission Winnow and Ferrari came to an end but was then renewed to a smaller degree as just a partner. However, wasn’t supportive of Philip Morris’ initiative sponsorship on the Ferrari car, and eventually in 2023, the sponsorship came to an end.

What do you make of Ferrari’s rumored partnership with HP? Do you think F1 is too dependent on the money still, despite the cost cap?