The elite motorsports series Formula 1 (F1) has confirmed a new multi-year partnership with leading Italian pasta brand Barilla.
Barilla will gain both on- and off-track sponsorship rights, including trackside signage at races, with Barilla products to be used in F1’s Paddock Club hospitality offering.
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In addition, the pair will collaborate on digital activations and co-branded consumer promotions.
F1 is big business in Italy and hosts two Grand Prix events in the country each season: the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which will take place in 2025 on April 18, and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, which will take place in 2025 on September 7.
Both these events will be focal points of the sponsorship, with the iconic Italian team Ferrari among the series’ biggest draws, while the grid’s sole Italian driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, is also likely to attract attention.
Barilla’s sports sponsorship portfolio to this point has mostly focused on individual athletes, with tennis star Coco Gauff and alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin currently covered by the brand, though in the past it has also partnered the Italian national basketball team.
Barilla adds to an F1 partnership portfolio that includes a host of prominent global brands, including Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli, the series’ official tire provider since 2011.
Much of Barilla’s pasta output in North America is manufactured in the US, which is by far the biggest sponsorship benefactor of F1.
Findings from the GlobalData Sport Business of Formula 1 2025 report show that close to 30% of the series-wide sponsorship deals also hail from the US, investing a total of $126.25 million directly into the series every year.
With nine of the 31 total deals, that figure marks triple the next most common market for sponsorships (three from the UK and Germany each).
Elsewhere in F1, the reigning constructors' champion McLaren has announced that it will enter the World Endurance Championship hypercar series from 2027 and participate in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Alongside F1, McLaren also competes in the F1 Academy women’s series from F1, the US single-seater series IndyCar as Arrow McLaren, and as NEOM McLaren in the all-electric racing series Formula E.
