The culture of the Cadillac Formula One team is taking shape as it picks up its first official sponsor, bourbon brand Jim Beam. With a multi-year agreement between the two, you will see the Jim Beam logo on the team’s liveries and gear for some time.
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While some have complained the Cadillac F1 team has already taken on too much of a European flavor, this move helps inject more American culture into the aesthetics. After all, other teams in the series have decidedly European sponsors.
It might seem odd for a company famous for making bourbon to sponsor an F1 team, but there is a long-standing tie between the two brands. After all, Mr. Jim Beam himself owned a Cadillac which he used to transport his proprietary yeast, the very essence of what made his bourbon unique, home each night in the front seat.
In other words, a Cadillac helped preserve the legacy, even through the prohibition years in the US.
Even more interesting, the seven-generation distiller for Jim Beam, Fred Noe, drives a Cadillac as a tribute to the founder and the special relationship he had with his car.
For Jim Beam, the sponsorship could be a huge boon. Just like with any other brand, it will get massive exposure to a global audience. That could in turn boost demand overseas, so it’s a smart move.
This isn’t the company’s first sports sponsorship. It has been connected to the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angelese Dodgers, the United States Soccer Federation, NASCAR, and the Indianapolis 500.
It even sponsored Dick Johnson Racing, the oldest race team in Australia.
But there’s something special about F1, especially with the first team to bear the name of an iconic American automotive brand.
Image via Jim Beam