Ahead of its F1 debut in 2026, Audi linked up with banking platform Revolut. The British fintech giant became title sponsor of the German racing outfit. Antoine Le Nel, Revolut’s head of marketing, recently opened up about the partnership — and didn’t hold back when discussing other Formula 1 collaborators. He singled out the tie-up between Ferrari and tech firm HP, which he says spoils the Scuderia’s livery.
Revolut are unhappy with the way Ferrari has integrated its principal partner into the car’s livery. Since HP joined the Italians in mid-2024 there’s been heavy criticism of the bright blue logos, which clash sharply with the car’s iconic red paint. On the Business of Sport podcast Antoine Le Nel, Revolut’s marketing chief, also weighed in. “Brand identity is very important,” he said. “At Revolut we put a lot of value on design and the user experience. A partnership has to fit with that.”
Ferrari and HP, Le Nel argued, have failed on that front. “Nothing personal, but I think what HP and Ferrari have done with their cars, from a design point of view, is not good,” he criticised. “How do you put blue on a red car? It just doesn’t work.” He praised other top teams for integrating sponsors more smoothly into the colour scheme. “I really want to compliment Mastercard and McLaren; I think that’s brilliant branding,” he continued. “Same goes for Chrome, whose logo is still on the wheels. There are brands that do it well; you can just tell when something is right.”
Perfect match
“When I looked at the brand identity of Audi and Revolut, it immediately felt very natural,” Le Nel continued. He said Revolut landed on Audi fairly quickly because the objectives of both companies aligned closely. “The story matters enormously,” he explained. “We at Revolut are here to disrupt banking and challenge the establishment. Audi wants that too. From that perspective what they are doing is impressive, precisely because they are stepping into perhaps the toughest sport in the world.”
“They are starting completely from scratch and building their car entirely themselves,” Le Nel praised Audi’s approach. “It’s not like Cadillac, which buys the whole car. Audi develops everything in-house – the chassis, the engine, the gearbox – the complete power unit is made by them. It’s no different at Revolut. We also built everything from the ground up. That made the partnership very natural; at Audi all the pieces fell into place straight away. Because we are working toward the same goals, it feels like a perfect match.”
