CANNES — Last week, McLaren team superstars, CEO Zak Brown, CMO Lou McEwen and Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri took the stage at Stagwell's Sport Beach. Together, they sat down for a chat on how Formula 1 is reshaping fan engagement and brand storytelling.

The conversation yielded much for brands and communicators looking to navigate an increasingly dynamic and changing media landscape. 

Engaging A New Audience

One of the standout points from the discussion was how Formula One has successfully attracted a younger, more diverse audience. "We're lucky to have two superstar drivers who resonate well with new audiences," said McEwen. "Oscar entered the scene relatively unknown in 2023, and his growth reflects both performance and personality. The Netflix factor has also really  demystified the sport and humanized the brand, which we’re laser-focused on. Both drivers share our team's humility and respect, so we just need to keep doing what we're doing."

Adding to her point, Brown noted that the team has also learned a lot from other sports, which contributes to its current momentum. "Formula One's global appeal is broad, with more demand for races than we have on the schedule. Liberty's acquisition helped us focus on our massive fan base, something we hadn't prioritized before. By allowing Netflix to showcase how the sport works, we've created a unique narrative that blends on-track action with off-track drama," he said, referencing how Liberty Media acquired F1 in 2017.

"Geographically, we needed to strengthen our presence in North America, the wealthiest sports market, and we’re making progress there. We also needed more diversity and youth, which reflect our evolving fan base. The demographics and psychographics now cater to a wider audience, and sponsors are responding, especially in the consumer space," said Brown. 

Ultimately, engaging fans is key; if we maintain strong fan connections, everything else will follow."

Data-Driven Decisions

The panel also highlighted the role of data in optimizing performance and fan engagement, something that is increasingly being discussed in the communications space. 

"In our sport, it's all about the smallest incremental gains. Our entire field is covered by just 2%, which highlights the narrow window between the best and the worst," said Brown. "We change about 80% of our car each year and use 300 sensors that gather around one and a half terabytes of data per weekend—that's about 10 million documents or 400 movies."

"We run 50 million simulations over a race weekend, constantly living in this data simulation. While data and AI are crucial, nothing replaces race instinct and the human element," he said.

He added that on the marketing side, McEwen uses data to engage fans, allowing the team to customize experiences based on consumer's interests in drivers, technology, cars, politics, and locations. This helps us serve up Formula One in a way that resonates with its audiences.

"As Zach mentioned, we apply a racing mindset across our commercial team," added McEwen. "We don’t just throw content out there; we analyze it like we do with our cars. After each campaign, we assess what worked and how to improve it for next time. We celebrate successes but also recognize the need for creativity."

She added that the team's audience is diverse—some fans have been with them for 60 years, while others are new, tuning in for events like the F1 premiere in New York and focusing on everything from race results to fashion on the red carpet.

"Our sponsors have also evolved from simple logo placements to being integrated into our racing team," added Brown. "We have two types of partners: those who contribute directly to our operations and those in the B2B technology space. Companies like Workday, Cisco, and Dell are involved in our finance, communications, and technology, helping us improve our performance," he said. 

"Consumer brands like Mastercard and Jack Daniel's engage with fans and attract new audiences, speaking to millions daily. Sponsorship in Formula One is rooted in tradition, so effective partnerships enhance our storytelling," added Brown.

He went on to say that while the team's drivers are the superstars, the engineers and team principals also play crucial roles. "Corporate partnerships today focus on storytelling, integrating our partners into the fabric of our racing team," said Brown.

McEwen went on to say that while performance does matter greatly when it comes to m marketing efforts for the team, there also needs to be resilience in the brand. "It took us 26 years to reclaim the World Champion title, and there's a lot of hard work behind that," she said.

"As we aim for more trophies, we focus on authentic storytelling. Even when we’re not on the podium, we have narratives to keep us relevant in fans' minds. Rebuilding the brand has taken seven to eight years, requiring time, energy, and talent, and we remain focused on sustaining that momentum for the future," she added.