Lego will sponsor a team in the 2026 Formula 1 Academy season, the Danish toy manufacturer announced this week, joining Sephora's newly unveiled series-wide partnership and fresh commitments from all 10 Formula 1 constructors to field teams through 2027. The moves formalize a competitive ladder with brand participation that now rivals junior men's series like FIA Formula 3 in sponsor breadth, if not yet in disclosed dollar scale.
The Sephora deal marks the beauty retailer's first motorsport play and gives F1 Academy a second global consumer brand alongside Alpine—Sephora's parent LVMH has owned stakes in multiple F1-adjacent properties but never directly sponsored a racing program. Lego's team commitment follows its $1.5 billion licensing relationship with the Ferrari brand through scale-model kits; the team it backs has not been disclosed, though sources close to the announcement suggest it will not be Ferrari's entry. All 10 F1 teams—Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Alpine, Williams, Haas, Sauber, and Racing Bulls—reaffirmed participation through 2027, extending commitments made when the series launched in 2023.
For sponsors sizing women's sports inventory, F1 Academy now offers team activation at roughly $3 million to $5 million per season, according to two team commercial directors, compared to $8 million to $12 million for mid-tier F1 team branding and upwards of $40 million for title partnership in FIA Formula 2. The Lego and Sephora deals suggest brands are buying reach—F1 Academy races air on ESPN and Sky Sports F1 during grand prix weekends, delivering cumulative audiences north of 30 million viewers in 2024—and narrative control, as both companies operate in categories where women represent 60 percent or more of purchasing decisions. One brand strategist at a rival toy company noted Lego's move preempts Mattel, which has explored motorsport activations since 2022 but lacks a current live-event property.
The 10-team grid commitment solves a structural risk that plagued the series' first two seasons: uncertainty over whether constructors would maintain funding as budgets tightened. McLaren and Haas both reduced headcount at their main F1 operations in 2024, yet neither pulled Academy backing. The extended timeline gives the series runway to negotiate a potential F1 commercial rights deal beyond 2027, when its current arrangement with Formula One Management expires. F1 Academy's managing director, who declined to comment on commercial terms, told stakeholders at December's FIA Prize Giving that the goal is standalone broadcast deals in three key markets by year-end 2025.
Watch for Lego's team announcement in March, when F1 Academy unveils its 2026 calendar at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Sephora's activation details—likely tied to grand prix hospitality and retail product lines—should surface by Monaco in late May. The Sephora contract runs through 2027, per one person familiar with the terms, with renewal options tied to viewership thresholds. One paddock regular noted Susie Wolff, who leads the series, has been in Paris twice since October; LVMH Watches & Jewelry president Frédéric Arnault was seen at the Abu Dhabi season finale in November, though a source close to the company said that visit related to his Ferrari ambassadorship, not F1 Academy.
The Lego deal also reopens questions about toy-brand activation in live sports. Hasbro and Mattel spent a combined $180 million on sports marketing in 2023, almost entirely on NFL and NBA broadcast spots, but neither has sponsored a racing team since Hot Wheels' brief IndyCar run in 2021. Lego's motorsport IP revenue—mostly from Speed Champions and Technic lines—grew 14 percent in 2024, per the company's February earnings call. One licensing executive at a competitor said the F1 Academy move is "playing the 2030 demo," banking that girls who watch the series now will buy kits as adults. The team sponsorship likely cost Lego $4 million to $6 million for 2026, based on disclosed fees at other junior series and the fact that F1 Academy teams operate on budgets under $10 million per season.
The series' 2025 season begins in Jeddah on March 7, supporting the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Sephora branding will appear trackside; Lego's team livery is expected at the season opener.
The takeaway
F1 Academy now carries tier-one consumer brand depth and constructor stability through 2027, positioning it for standalone media deals and scaled team sponsorships in the $4M range.
f1 academysephoralegoformula 1women's sportssponsorship
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