How Estrella Galicia is building a brand through F1 and MotoGP

This imposing wooden structure was the visible symbol of a new global partnership that MotoGP rights holder Dorna has struck with fast-growing Spanish beer brand Estrella Galicia.

Taking over from Singha as the official beer of the world championship, Estrella Galicia’s new hospitality unit is designed as a networking hub as well as to increase brand awareness.

With this agreement, Estrella Galicia is putting the emphasis on positive impact, a philosophy that underpins its future strategy both as a company and as a MotoGP partner.

CEO Ignacio Rivera was recently elected president of the Spanish Beer Industry, like his great-grandfather and founder of the company more than 100 years ago. He is the driving force behind the MotoGP commitment.

“Having built a solid project in the world championship with our entry in 2011, winning several world championships in Moto3 and Moto2 and reaching MotoGP with Honda and Suzuki, we have earned enough credibility to tell consumers ‘We really love this sport’,” he said.

“And now it’s time to join this circus as a sponsor who also contributes to the overall championship growing and improving. It is a natural step we have earned with this trajectory.”

Estrella Galicia’s journey within motorsport has been focused on MotoGP and Formula 1.

The brewer, which activates in motorsport with its alcohol-free 0.0 brand, has accompanied the personal and professional growth of riders such as Marc Marquez and Joan Mir, the last two Spaniards to be MotoGP world champions.

It has also backed Carlos Sainz since his F1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso, then with Renault, McLaren and now Ferrari.

The company is also active in sponsorships with football teams like Celta and Valladolid in the Spanish La Liga as well as music, cinema, and television. It even has a unique partnership around product placement in Netflix’s smash hit original series ‘Money Heist’.

Rivera reflects on Suzuki’s sudden decision to quit MotoGP as a strategic blow.

“It broke the roadmap we had drawn up. We were shocked, as was Suzuki. As a result, we rethought what we would do,” he says.

In the process of figuring out the next steps, a previously unimagined possibility emerged, to become a series sponsor.

“In terms of our brand today, we thought it was great opportunity. For a brand like us, who are in full international expansion, MotoGP provides a lot of visibility”, Rivera says.

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP