Four weeks. Four exciting new partnerships. Following a succession of partnership launches welcoming Ma'aden, Glenfiddich, Xerox and Puma to our team and the news that all 10 Formula One teams will reveal their 2025 liveries at a season launch event at the O2 in London, Jefferson Slack, Aston Martin Aramco Managing Director - Commercial, discusses the team's continued commercial success and what lies ahead for both the team and the sport next year.

F1 has announced plans for all 10 teams to launch their 2025 car liveries at the O2 in London on 18 February. Are you supportive of this new initiative, and how important is it for F1 to keep trying new things to bring fans closer to the sport?
Jefferson Slack: "It's an excellent idea. As an American, I've seen what success US sports have had with secondary, ancillary opportunities such as player drafts and all-star games, so it's great F1 is trying something of this nature.

"F1 has laid good foundations to increase interest thanks to the budget cap, Netflix's Drive to Survive series, and three incredible races in the United States - the largest economy in the world. Now, it's up to us, as a team and as a sport, to continually engage with our fans in different ways to maintain that interest.

"These new initiatives are essential for the sport to continue to grow and build on the incredible new foundation it has, especially with the younger demographic.

"It's a fickle business; fans have choices on who and what they follow and watch so there's no guarantee they're going to stick around. This event is an example of F1 and the teams not resting on their laurels."

Car launch is traditionally the biggest ownable moment of the year for any F1 team. What are the commercial implications of having one car launch for all teams and how will it impact exposure for partners?
JS: "It's great for our partners and for all the teams. There will be around 20,000 people there at a major live event and a much bigger global audience watching online: that's a lot of eyeballs.

"All of the teams will be together which will bring in a bigger audience than individual launches, so the exposure for partners will be huge.

"Of course, in such a setting with all the teams and F1 present, we'll have to be careful around potential partner conflicts between F1's partners and teams' partners but, other than that, I think it's brilliant.

"It's an event people will want to watch. The drivers are going to be there and there's going to be a lot more interest generated by this event compared to individual launches, which can only be great for partners."

Over the course of the past month, the team has announced exciting partnerships with Ma'aden, Glenfiddich, Xerox and Puma. How has the team been able to grow its partner roster despite enduring a tough year on the track?
JS: "There are a few reasons for this. We have an incredibly aspirational brand, in Aston Martin, with a 111-year heritage and, in addition to that, the sport has grown and continues to do so; that's an extremely helpful thing to say to potential partners.

"As a team, we're a tremendous partner and activator. Yes, it's helpful to have higher share of voice on the track but if you really activate and promote and tell stories about what you're doing with your partners, which we do very well, you can still have commercial success.

"We think about our partnerships creatively and differently. We've essentially built a media house that produces authentic and impactful content together with our partners. That's world-class marketing.

"Our iconic brand and our track record of doing a great job at activating partners' rights is why so many want to work with us."

As 2024 draws to a close, what are your highlights from the year and what are you most proud of?
JS: "I'm most proud of the fact our team has continued to grow. We've gone from a team of about five people to nearly 100 in just a few years. We have also continued to keep an incredible startup approach with a great set of personalities and people that get along and are enjoying their work.

"We have an incredible Executive Chairman and leader in Lawrence Stroll, who's given us everything we could imagine to be successful. Having that level of support and backing is liberating and with that freedom we don't get mired in bureaucracy or politics. I'm proud that we keep growing significantly, but the team has kept that young startup culture."

Commercially, what are the biggest challenges the team and sport face in 2025, and what does success look like for the team next year?
JS: "We need to make sure that we fully take advantage of what is, right now, a golden period for the sport in terms of fan interest; we need to build on it and not take it for granted.

"I would also hope the teams take a more long-term view with deals that are pitched to multiple parties. When more than one team has been pitched to in certain deals, sometimes there's been a bit of a race to the bottom. Trying to offer the best deal possible to a potential partner is fine, but at times there's been underselling just to get a deal completed. We need to make sure we extract the right value for our rights, as opposed to getting played off against multiple teams.

"Every year, success is hitting the budget that we've set for ourselves. That's our simple metric in terms of commercial requirements. Plus, we're always looking at how we can do things even better. That's what's at the heart of F1: finding ways to improve.

"We're constantly learning how to be the best we can be across all the various elements and segments of our commercial group to provide our partners with incredible experiences. People tell us all the time how much they enjoy working with us and that's what we want to continue to do. That's success for us.

"And we want to keep adding more great partners. It's a hugely exciting time to become part of our family. Some of the brightest minds in the sport, such as Andy Cowell, Adrian Newey, and Enrico Cardile are joining our already very talented team of people; we've got a new works partnership with Honda; and a new wind tunnel and simulator about to come online. All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together to enable us to fight for regular podiums, race wins and championships. We're the team of the future and brands want to join us on our journey."