With Formula 1 returning to Mexico City, teams are looking to cash in on the emerging market and beyond. Last weekend, the Mexican capital hosted its first F1 Grand Prix since ’92. The race, which attracted large crowds, showed the country's enthusiasm for sport, and teams took notice. “We look on a global level [for sponsorships] and since we know how strong it is here, Mexico is an important market,” said Monisha Kaltenborn, team principal of Sauber. The team has had a number of Mexican partners in recent years as both Sergio Pérez and Esteban Gutiérrez drove for the team. Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Domit, who has been an avid supporter of both drivers, sponsored the team through his companies Telmex, Telcel and Claro. However, when the drivers left the team the money went with them. Sauber still has a link to Latin America through Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr. The country's largest bank, Banco do Brasil, is an official partner of the team. “It’s [another] important market for us,” Kaltenborn said. Williams, which currently features Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, is convinced that every new market is important for F1. Williams Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams told SBD Global the team is always trying to do one-race deals if it sees a commercial value. “Mexico is a little bit difficult because obviously Sergio is taking the bulk of those with Force India so fast, we don’t have any one-race sponsorships here,” she said. “We always look at [markets like] Brazil, Abu Dhabi and Singapore, but it has been difficult this year securing those one race deals.”
IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT: Teams with Mexican drivers such as Force India, and next season Haas F1, are ones who benefit the most from the series' return to the country. Force India has deals in place with Telmex, Telcel and Claro. Haas F1 recently unveiled Telcel and Claro as partners for next season. “Checo (Sergio Pérez's nickname) has a huge following, we have many large Mexican sponsors and I personally love Mexico because there are many similarities with India, so this is like a home race for us,” said Vijay Mallay, owner of Force India. Aside from teams, it is the sport’s big global brands that see the value in new markets. Mexico is a big market for Red Bull, said Al Peasland, head of technical partnerships at Red Bull Racing. “F1 is still the biggest marketing tool that Red Bull has in terms of global audience and reach,” he added. The same is true for the series' manufacturers Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Renault. The German car brand posted a new sales record in Mexico last year. The company sold 373,291 units across the U.S., Mexico and Canada in ’14, according to a company statement. Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene called Mexico’s return hugely important as he sees it as a gateway to other Latin American markets. He said, “It’s important because Mexico somehow is the door of South America.”
SBD Global was on the ground in Mexico to cover F1's return to the country.
