After decades of sipping from the overflowing chalice that was Marlboro tobacco title sponsorship, Scuderia Ferrari and Philip Morris were forced to part ways when tobacco sponsors were banned from international motorsport in 2011. Of course the partnership continued through backdoor Mission Winnow channels until that program also ended in 2021. After a couple of seasons without a title sponsor, Ferrari have signed a “landmark, long-term title sponsorship deal” with Hewlett Packard. This deal will presumably allow Scuderia Ferrari to Ctrl + P some money, which it will probably need to help pay Lewis Hamilton’s salary next year.
“Our founder passed on to us his continuous will to progress. From this stems our drive to innovate on the road and on the track, as well as our commitment to a sustainable future, from carbon neutrality to the education of the younger generation,” said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.
“In HP we have found the same values, which make it an ideal partner. We look forward to starting our collaboration and facing new opportunities and challenges together.”
Along with the branding deal, HP will supply Ferrari with computers, printers, and conferencing technology. This deal extends to Ferrari’s efforts in F1 Academy and E Sports programs. There’s no telling if the deal will last as long as the 45-year partnership that Ferrari enjoyed with Marlboro, but who knows? It is described as “long term” and “multi-year” so it may very well.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (who will be pushed out of the team at the end of the season) is the only non-Red Bull driver to have won a Grand Prix since November of 2022. The Maranello team has signed seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to drive in his place, and retaining Sainz’ Monegasque teammate Charles Leclerc. It seems the team has forced too much talent into the queue at one time, and could learn something from HP about preventing paper jams.