Ferrari makes multiple changes to its partnership portfolio

Ferrari appears to have ended their collaborations with two of their premium partners with both Velas and Snapdragon having been removed from the list of partners on the Italian team's website.

Founded in 2019 in Zug, Switzerland, Velas is blockchain network for secure and interoperable transactions. The partnership was only signed at the start of last season, but it seems that the two companies will end the collaboration ahead of the 2023 F1 season. Velas also served as the Title Sponsor of Ferrari Esports Series.

Snapdragon Satellite whose partner company is Qualcomm is a two-way satellite messaging service. The software firm has only joined the partnership portfolio of the Italian team last year, but the two parties appear to have terminated their collaboration after just one year.

However, the Maranello-based outfit has also added two new sponsors to its partner list with the arrival of HCL Software and Bitdefender.

HCL Software is a multi-national company that is based in India and the United States. The logo first appeared on the F1-75s driven by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with the partnership set to continue in 2023.

Romanian group Bitdefender, a global cybersecurity leader, has entered into a multi-year partnership with Ferrari. The sponsorship started at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix with the company’s logo displayed on the drivers’ helmets. From 2023, the company’s logo will also be added to racing suits and team uniforms.

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Florin Talpes said: “Bitdefender shares with Scuderia Ferrari a heritage of excellence and a demonstrated track record of building state-of-the-art, innovative technologies to deliver winning results. When every second counts, only the most advanced cars win races on the track, and only the most advanced technology has the power to effectively prevent, defend and respond to cyberattacks.”

Moreover, Ferrari have also managed to extend their partnership with EssilorLuxottica. The Maranello-based team’s partnership with the eyewear manufacturer originally began in 2016. The French manufacturer has various brands under its umbrella with Oakley, Ray-Ban, Kodak Lens, Eyezen, Crizal and Xperio all contributing to the company’s portfolio. Ferrari’s 2023 F1 challenger will continue to feature the Ray-Ban brand.

“As of today, Ferrari is preparing to achieve new goals with EssilorLuxottica: from the first exclusively Ferrari-branded eyewear line, to the challenges awaiting us on the circuits in the motorsport seasons ahead", said Benedetto Vigna, chief executive of Ferrari.

“Starting from a common history of excellence and authentically shared values, we want to build further exciting projects together with the millions of fans and customers who choose us and believe in this constantly developing collaboration.”

Among Ferrari’s sponsors for the 2023 season will be Shell, Santander, Ray-Ban, AWS, Richard Mille, Ceva, Mission Winnow, Bitdefender, Estrella Galicia, HCL Software, Palantir, OMR, Puma, Radiobook, VistaJet, Giorgio Armani, Riva, Mahle, Pirelli, Manpower Group, TechnoGym, Iveco, Bell, Riedel, Garrett, Öhlins, Sabelt, Frecciarossa, NGK Spark Plugs, Brembo and SKF.