One of the fastest growing sports in the American zeitgeist is Formula 1 racing, thanks in no small part to the Netflix docuseries Formula 1: Drive To Survive, which gives newcomers to the sport a bit of a crash course on the teams, the drivers, and the rivalries. Put in more American terms, Formula 1 is NASCAR with more interesting tracks, without the moonshining roots, and with multi-generational wealth.
As one of the only three sports, according to great American novelist Ernest Hemingway (along with mountaineering and bull fighting. The rest are just games, as the quote goes), F1 has been one of the most popular sports in Europe for decades, and that interest is finally making it Stateside. And newfound American interest brings with it new American opportunities. Thus comes Formula 1’s new multi-year partnership with Drive Coffee, who will serve as the Official Coffee Provider, including serving all the coffee at last week’s Miami Grand Prix.
It’s a partnership that frankly makes a lot of sense. The Colorado-based roaster leans heavily on the car/racing theme, with whole bean coffee packaged in oil tins depicting a different vehicle representing the different coffee; the cars and driving/racing-based names in fact appear more prominently than the coffee’s origins. With the deal in place, Drive will provide coffee for all Grand Prix races “including the exclusive F1 Paddock Club and Paddock area.” And not just the American circuit, per the press release announcing the partnership, but for all races worldwide.
Drive will also be featured at “official F1 events outside of World Championship races” and “will soon be releasing a line of F1 co-branded coffee products and ready to drink beverages that will be rolled out in grocery and convenience stores globally,” a deal that could potentially make Drive more of a household coffee name on a global scale. Not too shabby a pick up for a brand whose prior marketing pushes include spon-con in Uncrate.
Still, the partnership is arguably the greatest American contribution to Formula 1 racing since Mario Andretti, at least until Haas F1, the only American team, gets it together and pulls out a victory to end the near-50 year American drought. Maybe they should use a Corvette, or like a Mustang or something. I hear those things can go pretty fast.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
