PKN ORLEN is staying in the Formula 1 paddock in 2023, with the concern beginning its cooperation with the Italian Scuderia AlphaTauri, whose main goal is to prepare future world champions. The ORLEN brand logo, in a record-breaking season of 23 race weekends, will be displayed, among others, on the rear wing, the nose of the car and the halo rim. This is the fifth consecutive year of the largest Polish company in the paddock of pinnacle of motorsport’. In the colours of Scuderia AlphaTauri will be Japanese Yuki Tsunoda and Dutchman Nyck de Vries.
“ORLEN Group is Central Europe's largest multi-utility company, serving more than 100 million customers. Global brand recognition is essential to achieve our strategic objectives. Nearly half of the Group's revenues come from sales abroad. That is why we consistently focus on sports sponsorship, a pillar of which is our presence in the most prestigious racing series. Thanks to this exposure, we reach hundreds of millions of fans around the world and are building a coherent marketing strategy in Poland and abroad. This is a huge potential that we will continue to use effectively in cooperation with Scuderia AlphaTauri,” says Daniel Obajtek, chairman of the board of directors of PKN ORLEN.
The popularity of Formula One has grown rapidly in recent years. Last season's Grand Prix races were followed on TV by 445 million viewers, and the number of people watching the world's best drivers compete from the stands during race weekends exceeded 5 million. In 2021, video views on Formula 1's official accounts - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Twitch - increased by 50% to reach a peak of 7 billion views, while fan engagement levels on social media reached 1.5 billion, translating into a year-on-year increase of up to 74%. Scuderia AlphaTauri is known for its digital activity and the implementation of interesting marketing formats. The cumulative number of followers on the team's social profiles exceeds 6.5 million.
Due to its potential, Formula 1 has become an effective tool for ORLEN Group to conduct marketing activities in all markets where the company's fuel stations are located. The image of the drivers of the sponsored team has been used in recent years in activities supporting the rebranding of stations in the Czech Republic and Germany, as well as in numerous activities promoting Stop Cafe products, VERVA fuels or the BIZNESTANK fleet programme. Joint communication activities, such as a promotional tour of the F1 car, increased recognition of the ORLEN brand abroad. In the Czech Republic, it already reaches 40 per cent.
“The Formula 1 is a fantastic marketing platform for the Czech market. Every fourth customer at refuelling stations in the Czech Republic is a fan of this royal sports discipline. Furthermore, almost 40% of our customers support ORLEN’s sponsoring of the F1 team,” adds Tomasz Wiatrak, chairman of the Board of directors of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, and concludes: “We are also expanding our activities in Slovakia and Hungary and Formula One is also highly popular in these countries. The interest is declared by every third customer of our filling stations there.”
During the 2023 season, the ORLEN logo will be displayed on the car's nose, rear wing, deflectors, halo rims, mirrors, overalls and drivers' and mechanics' clothes. In addition, it will be in the paddock and media walls, and the drivers will take part in advertising campaigns implemented by PKN ORLEN. The new agreement also provides for title sponsorship of the Scuderia AlphaTauri Esports team.
Scuderia AlphaTauri is a forge for young talent, where future champions have taken their first steps in Formula 1. The team is owned by Red Bull, which it helps to adapt its drivers to the world's most prestigious motorsport series. In the past, under the name Scuderia Toro Rosso, the team was represented by Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, among others, who have a combined 88 Grand Prix wins and six championship titles to their name. This year, the Italian team will be represented by Japanese Yuki Tsunoda and Dutchman Nyck de Vries. The new season's AT04 livery will be opened on 11 February in New York City. The start of competition is scheduled for the first weekend in March in Bahrain.
The new agreement marks the end of the group's three-year partnership with Sauber Motorsport.