Why Do Brands Spend Millions On Sport? Antoine Le Nel On Revolut’s F1, Football & Sporting Ambitions

What does it cost for the biggest brands to sponsor the biggest sports? Why do they do it? How do they choose what to put their name to?

The money behind sport is a primary feature of the show, but it’s normally from the perspective of the sports property. How big a sponsorship can Liverpool attract and what does it do to the bottom line. So to kick off the new year, we thought we’d change that. Antoine Le Nel is the Chief Marketing Officer of Revolut, the global challenger bank now investing millions into multiple sports properties, most notably as Audi’s new title sponsor for their debut F1 season. 

The reasoning behind this move, a look at how brands recognise value, how they justify spend; this was all part of a fascinating insight into the inflows of sport business. And it’s not just F1: women’s football, rugby, NFL, they’re all part of the growing portfolio Revolut are leveraging to develop the business in multiple markets. Antoine’s key explanation here is telling us why sport is such a powerful way for them and other top brands to do this.

On today’s show we discuss: 

Why Revolut Went Big in Sport:

• How the Audi Revolut F1 partnership came together and why F1 is a “go big or go home” sponsorship environment.

• How Revolut’s growth strategy shifted five years ago from pure performance marketing to building a global brand.

• Why sport became a critical upper-funnel lever to build credibility, open new segments, and compete with traditional banks.

• The NBA partnership as the proof point that sport could deliver real ROI, not just awareness.

Global vs Local Sponsorship Strategy:

• Why Revolut splits its sports portfolio into two layers: global IPs to differentiate at scale, and local teams to drive cultural relevance.

• How operating in 39 markets gives Revolut a structural advantage when sponsoring truly global sports like Formula One.

• Why most competitors simply cannot afford global sponsorships and how Revolut “divides the cost by 20” internally.

The Future of Sports Sponsorship:

• Why teams must evaluate partners beyond cash, focusing on long-term IP growth and innovation.

• How tech brands like Revolut and Spotify are reshaping how clubs think about sponsorship.

• Why modern sponsorship is about partnership, product and shared growth, not logos and cheques.