The current F1 season is only three races old, but the Haas F1 Team has already set its sights on next year to pick up additional partners, a team exec said. Sponsorship interest in the team “has picked up” since the start of the season, said Haas F1 Team CMO Adam Jacobs, though no new deals are imminent. “Our focus for sponsorships is 2017 and beyond,” he said. “Not to say that we won’t have some strategic partners that will join in 2016.” Securing new partners in F1 takes time considering the large financial commitment that is required. Primary team sponsorships range from $42M-$70M, according to an industry source. “It takes time for partners that make the level of investment needed to build their programs and develop their strategies,” Jacobs said. “It’s not something that you can talk about in March or April and launch in June.” The Haas F1 Team is fortunate to have machine tool brand Haas Automation, which was founded by Team Owner Gene Haas, as its primary sponsor. The support of Haas Automation takes away the financial pressure felt by many other F1 teams. Haas F1’s other team sponsors include Alpinestars, Richard Mille and América Móvil (Telcel/Claro). The team’s successful start to the season, with two top 6 finishes in Australia and Bahrain, did also not hurt in terms of sponsorship interest, Jacobs said. “It was less about the success of the first couple of races and more about the fact that we are now competing in the world championship,” he said. “Six months ago we were still fielding questions about whether we are going to be ready to go or not.” F1’s global reach, with more than 425 million TV viewers around the globe in ’15, makes the series an appealing property. And being the only U.S.-led team on the circuit in 30 years provides Haas F1 with a special status. “You’ve got those U.S. brands that are looking to grow their market share and gain some exposure overseas,” Jacobs said. “We’ve also been contacted by international brands that see the growth potential in the U.S. for Formula 1.” With a rather disappointing finish at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix -- Esteban Gutiérrez finished 14th, while Romain Grosjean finished 19th -- but 18 races left during its inaugural season, Haas F1 continues to build its brand. Jacobs: “It’s always been an objective to build a brand that does not depend on race results.”
