Formula 1 is firmly back on track but the consecutive Bahrain and Saudi Arabian race cancellations, the result of events in the Middle East, have highlighted how quickly established sporting fixtures can face significant disruption.
The cost of the decision to cancel both races, given the potential risk to safety of staff working in the sport and the fans that go to see it, was estimated at upwards of $100m. And it was felt across the board: the rightsholders that lost hosting fees, the host cities that missed out on the economic injection when Formula 1 comes to town, and sponsors and teams that lost the brand exposure delivered by the pinnacle of motorsport, watched by over 76m people on average per race.
Formula 1 is not alone. The second-tier England Lions cricket tour in the UAE was also curtailed and then fully cancelled due to security concerns with additional disruption to the England Women’s programme as the team were hastily relocated to South Africa. MotoGP saw the Qatar Grand Prix rescheduled for November while a number of football fixtures were dropped due to the current political situation, including the Finalissima between Spain and Argentina, which was also set to take place in the Gulf.
Formula 1 a leader
But in Formula 1, the loss of two Grands Prix left a more than five-week gap between Japan and Miami, meaning no racing action at all during the month of April. The pandemic also exposed just how fragile sponsorship models built around live events can be. As did Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which saw the cancellation or movement of major sporting events like the 2022 Uefa Champions League final, which was stripped away from St. Petersburg less than 24 hours after the military action began.
There are good examples of brands adapting effectively when traditional participation moments or sporting events disappear. As pandemic restrictions began to ease, Asics’ Run to Feel campaign championed the mental benefits of movement, calling on people to try running a 5k every week before sharing their experience on social media with the tag #RunToFeel.
Formula 1 teams also took to virtual racing with an esports series. Ironically, this started with the Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix featuring many drivers and stars, with F1 global partners like Aramco participating. Across sport, sponsors leaned into athlete-led content and digital fan experiences to maintain engagement. The common thread was that the strongest partnerships were not dependent on the event itself. When live sport disappeared, they still had somewhere else to go.
So, what should sponsors entering into sports partnerships take from this latest episode?
Think platform, not moment
The starting point is that brands shouldn’t just think about sports partnerships as a moment in time to activate. Yes, there are sports which only happen annually like the Super Bowl, but, even there, the most effective campaigns are built up over weeks, amplified across channels, and extended long after the game ends.
In the case of Formula 1, that means treating the format as a continuous platform, with key races serving as moments to intensify activity across the calendar. Signify, for example, the world leader in lighting for professionals and official partner of the Mercedes F1 team has put sustained effort over multiple seasons into partnering with fitness creators to ‘live like an F1 driver’, to show the positive impact of lighting on athlete performance and recovery.
Build Formula 1-style depth
The disruption highlights a visibility and value point. Partnerships that exist only as a logo on a car or front of shirt sponsorship are surface level and immediately lose their impact the moment the event is removed.
But those built on storytelling aligned with the sport and genuine integration with teams and fans have far greater resilience and enable you to pivot when events are unexpectedly disrupted.
Invest in relationships, not reach
Building loyalty and trust in your fanbase is key to weathering situations like this. Brands that have invested in sustained engagement are better placed to maintain relevance, even when the platform itself falls away. That’s particularly important when fans are increasingly sceptical of the role sponsors play. Edelman’s latest Pushed To The Limit research shows that 40 per cent of fans believe sponsors and advertisers benefit most from sport’s commercial models. If that is the perception, then relevance and trust matter more than exposure alone.
With a World Cup fast approaching, where geopolitical tensions could also see fixtures moved or teams withdraw, these lessons feel particularly timely.
Disruption isn’t going away. The brands that succeed are the ones that aren’t reliant on only the event itself to deliver value.
Fraser Walters is the lead at Edelman Sport
