F1: Fueled by Product Placement
Written By: Josh Kozak
Published: July 19th, 2025
When I walked out of F1, the very first thing my family and I discussed wasn’t the performances, the fantastic sound design, the excellent visuals, or even the racing itself - it was the product placement.
Product placement has been a major part of cinema for a century, dating back to the 1920s in films like Wings. Evolving through cinematic history, product placement has formed into several distinct types, including screen placement, script placement, plot placement, and even virtual product placement. One of the most famous examples of product placement is in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, where Elliot, played by Henry Thomas, lured E.T. out of their hiding space by placing bits and pieces of Reese’s Pieces in a trail. The scene became a massive hit - cinematically and financially.
The Hershey’s brand invested a million dollars into “promotional tie-ins,” which included advertising ranging from posters to commercials. What was originally a risky marketing strategy from one of the largest chocolate brands in the world turned into one of the most successful and profitable marketing techniques used by the company: Reese’s Pieces sales reportedly increased an astounding 65%, marking a landmark moment in movie marketing history.
Since E.T., blockbuster films have implemented product placement as a way to fund their movies while giving brands millions in viewership and recognition worldwide. F1 is one of those films.
Not only did F1 immerse the audience into the cockpit of some of the fastest and most technical automobiles around, but also the barrage of brands and logos. Logos from Rolex, IWC, T-Mobile, and, of course, Apple, were impossible to miss. But why did the product placement work so well? Because Formula 1 itself is product placement. In real life, Formula 1 teams wrap their cars with brands and products for sponsorship and marketing purposes, relying on them to fund their racing operations and the high-cost aspects that come with the sport. So, not only was Apple TV able to fund a good portion of their movie strictly on product placement, but also made their movie look more realistic, having the cars wrapped in brands just like in real life, rather than generic and inauthentic.
So, how much did Apple get from all the product placement? Well, with over a dozen sponsors from some of the largest corporations in the world, the F1 movie generated at least 40 million dollars. With the reported film budget of around 300 million dollars, with Pitt being paid 30 million himself, the product placement used within the movie made a meaningful dent in the film's financing.
Does this mean every blockbuster movie can rely on millions from sponsors and brands looking for extra marketing? Absolutely not. I personally believe that product placement only works in certain situations. As previously discussed, Formula 1 is already filled beyond the brim with sponsors; it wouldn’t feel authentic without it, so the F1 movie was able to capitalize on it flawlessly. However, in some situations, watching a movie filled with product placement ruins the cinematography or even the movie itself. The wrong placement of a singular product can ruin the vibe that a movie attempts so hard to achieve, such as the product not being in the right time period or the product not aligning with the style of the film whatsoever.
Films like F1 that open the eyes of audiences beyond the cinematic aspects and aid in showing the numerous other elements that help a movie get made are insightful. It’s important to understand films beyond the directing and performances, and interesting facts like product placement and movie marketing are an enjoyable way to learn more about production and the behind-the-scenes. In the end, F1’s production team did a wonderful job meshing the realism of Formula 1 while also making a great financial decision, something that must not go unnoticed in the business side of film.
When I walked out of F1, the very first thing my family and I discussed wasn’t the performances, the fantastic sound design, the excellent visuals, or even the racing itself - it was the product placement.
Product placement has been a major part of cinema for a century, dating back to the 1920s in films like Wings. Evolving through cinematic history, product placement has formed into several distinct types, including screen placement, script placement, plot placement, and even virtual product placement. One of the most famous examples of product placement is in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, where Elliot, played by Henry Thomas, lured E.T. out of their hiding space by placing bits and pieces of Reese’s Pieces in a trail. The scene became a massive hit - cinematically and financially.
The Hershey’s brand invested a million dollars into “promotional tie-ins,” which included advertising ranging from posters to commercials. What was originally a risky marketing strategy from one of the largest chocolate brands in the world turned into one of the most successful and profitable marketing techniques used by the company: Reese’s Pieces sales reportedly increased an astounding 65%, marking a landmark moment in movie marketing history.
Since E.T., blockbuster films have implemented product placement as a way to fund their movies while giving brands millions in viewership and recognition worldwide. F1 is one of those films.
Not only did F1 immerse the audience into the cockpit of some of the fastest and most technical automobiles around, but also the barrage of brands and logos. Logos from Rolex, IWC, T-Mobile, and, of course, Apple, were impossible to miss. But why did the product placement work so well? Because Formula 1 itself is product placement. In real life, Formula 1 teams wrap their cars with brands and products for sponsorship and marketing purposes, relying on them to fund their racing operations and the high-cost aspects that come with the sport. So, not only was Apple TV able to fund a good portion of their movie strictly on product placement, but also made their movie look more realistic, having the cars wrapped in brands just like in real life, rather than generic and inauthentic.
So, how much did Apple get from all the product placement? Well, with over a dozen sponsors from some of the largest corporations in the world, the F1 movie generated at least 40 million dollars. With the reported film budget of around 300 million dollars, with Pitt being paid 30 million himself, the product placement used within the movie made a meaningful dent in the film's financing.
Does this mean every blockbuster movie can rely on millions from sponsors and brands looking for extra marketing? Absolutely not. I personally believe that product placement only works in certain situations. As previously discussed, Formula 1 is already filled beyond the brim with sponsors; it wouldn’t feel authentic without it, so the F1 movie was able to capitalize on it flawlessly. However, in some situations, watching a movie filled with product placement ruins the cinematography or even the movie itself. The wrong placement of a singular product can ruin the vibe that a movie attempts so hard to achieve, such as the product not being in the right time period or the product not aligning with the style of the film whatsoever.
Films like F1 that open the eyes of audiences beyond the cinematic aspects and aid in showing the numerous other elements that help a movie get made are insightful. It’s important to understand films beyond the directing and performances, and interesting facts like product placement and movie marketing are an enjoyable way to learn more about production and the behind-the-scenes. In the end, F1’s production team did a wonderful job meshing the realism of Formula 1 while also making a great financial decision, something that must not go unnoticed in the business side of film.
F1: Fueled by Product Placement
Written By: Josh Kozak
Published: July 19th, 2025