While Formula 1’s launch season tends to be awash with commentary about car concepts, masked innovations and garish liveries, some of us pore over the thing that fuels our sport. Money, and more precisely who has secured which sponsor and for how much.
Japanese industrial giant Komatsu turning up on the side of the Williams was one example, another the decision by Italian beer Peroni to shift allegiance from Aston Martin to Ferrari. Stake with its Kick Saubers, and the Visa Cash App team, which once enjoyed more credibility when known as Minardi, grabbed the headlines. But there was so much more to unpick from across F1’s commercial landscape.
Then a press release landed which announced that the F1 Academy had signed Charlotte Tilbury. “Is she quick?” I wondered, turning to Google. Meanwhile the office WhatsApp group intervened.
“How amazing is this?” said Sophie.
“OMG,” replied Debbie.
“Love her products,” enthused Jill.
I apologise to our female readers for what comes next, as I have to admit I did the one thing someone of my age and gender does when faced with his own ignorance. I asked my wife who Charlotte Tilbury is.
Tilbury’s business lends its support to Rodin driver Lola Lovinfosse in F1 Academy and is a notable addition to the motorsport sponsorship landscape
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
If you’re a guy reading this and you know all about Charlotte Tilbury, well done, but for the rest of you it’s worth reading on. For the deal between the F1 Academy and the Charlotte Tilbury cosmetics brand may be one of the more important sponsorship deals to have come motorsport’s way in quite some time.
Let us be clear, a lack of sponsorship was one of the reasons W Series went to the wall. Despite worthy statements from many companies involved in F1 about support for gender diversity and inclusion, very few put their hands in their pockets when Catherine Bond Muir and her team came calling. Charlotte Tilbury has changed all of that, and for those of us who believe that the benefits of sponsorship go far beyond the money, it’s a potential game-changer.
The eponymous brand was founded by British make-up artist and beauty entrepreneur Charlotte Tilbury in 2012 and her business has become a global phenomenon. She initially built a strong following on YouTube thanks to her compelling make-up tutorials. They’re fascinating to watch, so I unexpectedly find myself knowing…
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