F1 Business Weekly: Cadillac Stake for Sale, Adobe Enters F1, and More

This is the first edition of Roundtable's F1 Business Weekly, where we round up the most important business-related Formula 1 news from the past week. We'll look at partnerships and sponsorships between commercial brands and F1 teams, revenues, drivers' business investments, and many more.

The biggest business story of the week is the reported sale of a controlling stake in Cadillac. Mark Walter's TWG Global is exploring a sale of its controlling stake, with an asking price of at least $3 billion. Several groups are already expressing their interest, including the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the ownership group behind Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox.

Walter is currently facing federal fraud investigations that are tied to his business umbrella. He has already sold his stake in the Los Angeles Lakers and Chelsea FC, while reportedly seeking buyers for Cadillac and the Los Angeles Sparks. 

Cadillac is on its debut campaign in Formula 1, and is projected to lose roughly $400 million this season. The factors for the drop could be traced to startup costs and a commercial operation that is still being built.

Most recently, the team extended Mexican driver Sergio Perez's contract through 2029. It's still unclear whether they will do the same for Valtteri Bottas or if they go for a new name like Colton Herta.

Adobe Inc., an American multinational computer software company, becomes Alpine's official AI fan experience partner. It's Adobe's first foray as an F1 commercial partner. 

The Adobe-Alpine deal will start as early as next season. With the help of Adobe GenStudio, Alpine will use "AI-powered content creation" in managing their fan marketing campaigns worldwide.

McLaren F1 has announced a multi-year deal to make NTT an official partner starting in 2027. NTT, a Japanese technology group, aims to provide AI security governance to the reigning Constructors' Champions.

Of course, NTT is not an entirely new name in McLaren's racing operations. In fact, the group has been the title sponsor of the IndyCar series since 2019, where the Arrow McLaren IndyCar is competing.

Following Kimi Antonelli's championship-clinching performance in the Mexican Grand Prix, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that former sponsors of the team actually questioned his decision to bring in a very young driver. 

In 2024, Mercedes announced the signing of the then-18-year-old Antonelli, who will replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025. The move drew the attention of two Mercedes sponsors, at least from a commercial perspective. 

The unnamed sponsors were concerned that Antonelli has not established himself as a commercial asset yet. It's a direct contrast to Hamilton, who has already gained so much global recognition and commercial value. 

But with Antonelli winning the Drivers' Championship in just his second F1 season, there's no doubt that his marketability is still going through the roof as we speak.

Aston Martin might be struggling for performance on the track, but they're still doing work off it. The team has extended its partnership with online forex and CFD broker Pepperstone. Their partnership started in 2025 and will reach new heights starting in 2027.

As part of their partnership, Pepperstone has also signed Fernando Alonso as their new global ambassador. During the Mexican GP, the two-time World Champion wore a Pepperstone-themed helmet to celebrate his new appointment.