Padel has become an increasingly popular sport among Formula 1 drivers, with Fernando Alonso and George Russell teaming up on the court, while Pierre Gasly has even invested in his own team. Now Aston Martin have taken that connection a step further with the launch of a new collection of padel rackets.<\/p>\n
Padel has found a growing following within the paddock. But what exactly is the sport, and why have so many F1 drivers taken to it?<\/p>\n
Aston Martin bring F1 to the padel court<\/p>\n
Ahead of the 2026 United States Grand Prix,Aston Martin<\/a> announced a collaboration with racket sports brand Padeltek, becoming the first F1 team to formally partner with a company specialising in padel and pickleball.<\/p>\n The collection features three padel rackets and accompanying cover bags, with pickleball equipment set to follow in 2027. To celebrate the launch, Aston Martin hosted an event in Austin, where Jenson Button, Jessica Hawkins, Jak Crawford and Pedro de la Rosa took to the court.<\/p>\n For Matt Chapman, ‘Aston Martin’s Head of Licensing and Merchandise, the sport’s popularity within the paddock presented an opportunity to explore a new area for the team.<\/p>\n “Padel was a particularly interesting opportunity given its incredible growth and the natural connection it has developed with the Formula 1 paddock,” Chapman told F1.com.<\/p>\n “We’ve seen how popular the sport has become among drivers and teams, but the appeal goes much further than that. It has a global and diverse community, which presents an exciting opportunity for us to connect with new audiences and explore a different side of our brand.”<\/p>\n However, Chapman explained that the team wanted to ensure the collaboration went beyond simply adding its branding to existing equipment.<\/p>\n “Authenticity was really important to us from the outset. We wanted to create something that went beyond simply putting our name on a product, ensuring the collection genuinely reflected both our identity and the demands of the sport.<\/p>\n “Working with Padeltek allowed us to bring together their expertise in padel equipment, with our own design. We wanted the collection to feel unmistakably Aston Martin, while ensuring the products were designed to perform on court. Striking that balance between design, functionality and performance was key.”<\/p>\n Aston Martin’s Chief Marketing Officer, Rob Bloom, believes the competitive similarities between Formula 1 and padel have contributed to the sport’s popularity.<\/p>\n “There’s a natural crossover between the two sports, particularly when you consider the competitive mindset and the importance of quick thinking, precision and reaction times,” Bloom told F1.com.<\/p>\n “Padel has become a sport that has brought people together, whether that’s drivers, team members or fans, and it’s become a great way for the paddock to connect away from the intensity of a race weekend.”<\/p>\n What is padel, and why do F1 drivers love it?<\/p>\n Combining elements of tennis and squash, padel is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by glass walls and fencing.<\/p>\n The scoring system is similar to tennis, but players serve underarm, use solid rackets and can return shots after the ball rebounds off the surrounding walls. The fast-paced rallies demand quick reactions, communication and teamwork, qualities that also play an important role in Formula 1.<\/p>\n According to Mike Dale, Editor of The Padel Paper<\/a>, its accessibility is a major part of the appeal, particularly for professional athletes.<\/p>\n “Padel has indeed become really popular with current and ex-sportsmen and women. The sport is obviously very trendy and quite a lot of the emerging clubs are quite high-end, so the environment is attractive to people from the equally glamorous F1 world,” he told F1.com.<\/p>\n “But the biggest reason is that padel is very easy to become quite good at quite quickly, particularly if you’ve got a baseline of athleticism, sporting ability and hand-eye coordination. And that feeling of being ‘good’ quite quickly is very addictive!”<\/p>\n The social element is another attraction for drivers, with Lando Norris,<\/a> Oscar Piastri<\/a>, Carlos Sainz<\/a>, and Charles Leclerc<\/a> among those regularly enjoying matches away from the track.<\/p>\n Ahead of the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, Norris and Gabriel Bortoleto<\/a> were spotted enjoying a game, while Alex Albon<\/a> revealed that drivers had even established a group chat to organise late-night matches during the race weekend.<\/p>\n Despite taking place away from the pressures of a Grand Prix weekend, their competitive instincts remain.<\/p>\n