ABB will continue as the title partner for the FIA Formula E World Championship and extend its participation within it to beyond a decade.
Formula E Notebook understands that the Swedish/Swiss technology giant has come to an agreement with Formula E for at least the next three seasons but possibly with an option for five in total, which could take the agreement up to and including the 2030/31 season. The initial deal between ABB and Formula E was made in January 2017 and ran until last season.
ABB has developed a symbiotic marketing campaign around its Formula E involvement called “Engineered to Outrun” and it will use its continued positioning with the series for what it described as ‘year-round for brand activations and content creation.’
The electrification and automation technologies ABB is imbued in will also help ‘build a leaner and cleaner future’ according to its official statement in the announcement today.
Paco Liebrand, the Head of Brand at ABB, said that both Formula E and ABB were “striving for a leaner and cleaner future. The synergy between the two organizations, combined with the global appeal of the Championship, make it a great platform to promote our brand positioning.
“Formula E is increasingly working with content creators, influencers and celebrities, with initiatives such as the Evo Sessions making an impact through digital channels beyond the racing itself, which is also an essential part of ABB’s new brand strategy,” continued Liebrand.
Going forwards, we will be enhancing the way we harness the benefits of this collaboration, ensuring the focus is on delivering content and activations which reinforce our new messaging, build familiarity, and tell the “Engineered to Outrun” story.”
From a Formula E standpoint, Tiziana Di Gioia, Chief Revenue Officer, Formula E, added that the continuing partnership with ABB was “a testament to the commercial power and benefit of Formula E as a global platform that drives both brand and business growth. ABB, like our wider partnership portfolio, has and continues to see enormous value in collaborating with the fastest growing motorsport on the planet, with viewership, commercial integration and brand storytelling continuing to accelerate.
“Over eight seasons, ABB has moved from brand visibility to brand activation – integrating deeply into the fan experience, the sport’s ecosystem, and our innovation narrative.
“This next chapter elevates the partnership even further. With ABB’s new positioning, we are co-creating opportunities across content, digital storytelling, and market engagement, transforming a title partnership into a year-round, value-generating relationship. It’s a model of how modern sponsorships should evolve, rooted in purpose and cultural alignment, but measured by impact.”
ABB has been a central commercial, technology and marketing pillar within Formula E across three generations of its rules set, coming in at the advent of Gen2, the tricky Gen3 early years and now the Gen3Evo solidification of Formula E’s ambition to penetrate the sporting consciousness in to what it often cites as ambition to become a Tier 1 entity.
While ABB has been a consistent presence and an active media and marketing one, there have been uncertain elements too, notably its distancing from the Pit Boost initiative, with no corporate identification on that whatsoever.
