MIAMI — Inside five minutes of touching down in Miami all anyone desired to speak about was the Miami Grand Prix this weekend. Uber drivers, on the corner store and folks on the road, the excitement around Formula 1 coming back to Miami for the second yr in a row was palpable. Now Puma — already well-known in F1 circles as a partner of Mercedes, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo — is further cementing its place in the worldwide sport by unveiling an exclusive take care of F1 for the 2024 season and beyond.

“For us, it’s a improbable opportunity,” chief executive officer of Puma Arne Freudt told a trackside crowd of onlookers on the F1 Garage at Rock Stadium that included Sergio Aguero, Skepta, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. “Puma has been a number one brand in motorsports for a long time. After which whenever you take a look at the partners with whom we have now been together within the last a long time, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes with most of one of the best drivers. I believe it’s clear that Puma has a dominant position in motorsport. And now we have now the chance to raise that position and strengthen our position. We couldn’t also imagine a greater moment for that partnership.”

Formula 1 has experienced massive growth recently: cumulative TV audiences have reached 1.5 billion viewers, race attendance reached record levels in 2022 and the game can be growing rapidly on social media platforms.

“To begin with, thanks for the trust,” Formula 1 Group chief executive officer and president Stefano Domenicali said, responding to Freudt.  “It’s a vital moment because on this moment, everyone seems to be us as a reference, as a base to search for the longer term. And that’s been all the time the case with Puma. In other roles, for a few years it has been all the time a middle of gravity of innovation of technology, the inspiration of a young generation, and that is something that we actually share as Formula 1 today. So it’s really a terrific partnership in two dimensions — sponsorship and licensing — sharing something that we wish to supply to our fans, dedicating special lines for them. They’re going to offer something special and you will note the brand Formula 1 through Puma all all over the world.”

The freshly inked deal will make Puma the official supplier at Formula 1 races, granting the brand the best to provide F1 branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Herzogenaurach, Germany-based, multinational activewear company will equip Formula 1 sports officials on target and create Formula 1 fanwear that targets the game’s different audiences with latest lifestyle and motorsport collections.

After a fast break to toast the brand new partnership, a second panel led by Puma chief branding officer Adam Petrick; Puma director of Women’s Hoops and well-known stylist and image maker June Ambrose; Roc Nation’s Emory Jones, and Rwandan and Belgian racing driver and TV presenter Naomi Schiff spoke concerning the intersection of motorsport and fashion, streetwear culture and the chance Puma and F1 must touch latest audiences.

“After I take a look at Formula 1 I can put them on the board with the Tiffanys of the world,“ Jones said of the worldwide recognition of the game, echoing the expansion the F1 brand possesses.

“I remember back within the ’90s, within the 2000s, motorsport was a thing like we were using the music videos taking inspiration from the culture,“ explained Ambrose, who already designed a hoops collection but is now turning her eye to a motorsport line.  “We were recreating it in luxury fabrics, and I began my design profession doing these disruptive things. I’m notoriously known for being disruptive.”

Looking forward to what’s to return from Puma and Ambrose, elevation is a key a part of the combination, with a concentrate on a female fan perspective. “There have been so many things that didn’t necessarily must be completely reimagined because they’d such a terrific foundation,“ she said, wearing a number of latest Puma styles herself. “We’ve got a T-shirt with a crop; there’s just one sleeve.

“That could be a way that I can see my viewpoint and I believe it really speaks to a more fashion customer,” she said, mixing fashion, sport and lifestyle. “It’s very wearable. Nowadays all the pieces is so gender-neutral. I can see a pair guys within the biker shorts, too.”

Schiff chimed in, “I believe the higher word for disruption is collaboration.”

She spoke of how the game has transformed and is reaching a growing female audience, but identified, “We haven’t seen a girl behind the wheel and Formula 1 automotive since 1976. As we begin to create female role models for young women, through the likes of W Series Formula 1 Academy, [people will think] there’s an area where our youngsters, with our young daughters, in a sport like this.”

She pointed to her following on Instagram to focus on the change, “I used to have a balance of 90 percent of males and 10 percent of female audience. I now have 35 percent female and male, 65 percent. So, it’s progress.”

Gender equality in sports is a vital conversation today and the panel used the subject to underpin how each the game and Puma can broaden their audiences.  Formula 1 has seen a pointy rise in popularity over the past years and its fan base is becoming younger and more female.

Puma’s subsidiary Stichd, an organization for licensed fanwear in addition to legwear, bodywear and swimwear, will exclusively operate the fan retail stores during every race weekend. The shops will sell Formula 1 products in addition to team replica kit, fanwear, and special edition collections from all 10 teams on the Formula 1 grid and F1 legends. The primary Puma x Formula 1 products shall be available at Puma stores worldwide, and on Puma.com and Formula1.com.

The celebration didn’t end there, with attendees coming back together for a packed party Thursday night on the Swan within the Miami Design District with DJ sets by Skepta and Kelvin Krash, A$AP Lou and Mas Tiempo stopping by. The interactive party space included games akin to whack-a-mole, water gun races, “Need for Speed: Unbound,” slot automotive racing, together with a cotton candy machine from Twisted Smoke. It kicked off what’s sure to be a large weekend of citywide race-themed events, watch parties and late night celebrations, with all eyes are on Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.