racing gear for F1 drivers since the mid-1980s, as well as teamwear, fanwear and lifestyle collections for the sport’s most successful teams.  Today, Puma is the leading provider of race gear and lifestyle collections in motorsport, with partners such as Mercedes AMG Petronas F1, Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, BMW M and Porsche Motorsport. Formula 1 has seen a sharp rise in popularity in recent years, with its fanbase becoming younger and more diverse. Cumulative TV audiences have grown to 1.5 billion viewers, and race attendance reached record levels in 2022, with the sport continuing to grow on social media.  The partnership provides Puma with the opportunity to augment its established dominance in the sport by appealing to a broader fan base, tapping into more diverse consumer groups and bringing the inspiration of on-track gear to off-track fashion. A new beginning “It’s very exciting for us. It marks another step forward for the brand in the motorsports arena, so we are really looking forward to 2024 and beyond,” Thomas Josnik, Puma’s general manager of the motorsport business unit, told Inside Retail. He went on to say that this is quite a big moment for the brand, as the company is looking forward to strengthening its brand positioning through this new partnership with F1. “This partnership is adding a new dimension to our motorsport portfolio. This is an omnichannel opportunity that allows us to tap into the F1 universe and merchandise. We will be at all the races around the world, and this will be a big step in marketing activations too,” he added. Josnik mentioned that this partnership has created a lot of positive synergies for the brand, as the F1 universe is constantly attracting new and younger fans. Interestingly, he noted that Netflix’s Drive to Survive series has been a key driver in attracting this new breed of fans. “From a merchandising standpoint as well as a sales perspective, this 360-degree omnichannel opportunity is looking very promising, as we will be able to tap into new consumer demographics, and at least half of them are female,” he noted. Blending motorsports and fashion Interestingly, Josnik believes that the partnership will also help Puma appeal to the fashionista crowd in the future. He thinks Puma will be able to disrupt the space with collections that can bring celebrities to the forefront in terms of merchandising as well. “Both Puma and F1 have access to diverse customer groups, and together we can complement each other. F1 is about innovation, it’s the pinnacle of motorsports and it’s constantly pushing the boundaries, so for us the synergies are a big driving force,” he explained. He feels that the intersection of performance and lifestyle is the interesting part in this union. Customers are craving authenticity, and this is where Puma will be trying to inject the performance element into its fashion collections to create authentic moments of inspiration. On the ground activities Puma’s subsidiary, Stichd, will exclusively operate the fan retail stores during race weekends. These shops will sell F1 licensed products as well as replica teamwear, fanwear, and special-edition collections for all 10 teams on the grid and F1 legends. According to Stichd CEO, Nina Nix , the company will create bespoke, lightweight and immersive installations at all the race circuits for every calendar year. There will be a combination of megastores, small stores and premier hospitality installation to celebrate the F1 experience. “Stichd will be operating exclusively at all the race venues, so track-side sales will allow fans to acquire the merchandise in a seamless way, and the experience will be tailored to make it as easy as possible for fans to get team merchandise as well,” Josnik stressed. Puma’s ‘Forever Faster’ tagline certainly fits the bill in this partnership, and Josnik is revelling in the fact that Puma will have the opportunity to showcase the passion and relevance of F1 in an exclusive yet accessible manner. “Formula 1 has been investing in social media activities, and we are seeing Millennials becoming the core of the sport in terms of audience engagement, and for Puma, this is a great opportunity for us to widen our brand awareness for the long term,” he concluded.