These were the top mentioned brands during the Formula 1 weekend

The Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend is over with fans abuzz following racer Lando Norris' first win at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The race welcomed a sold-out crowd of 269, 072 fans, marking the highest attendance since the circuit's update last year.

With plenty of eyeballs on the event, which were the brands that become the talk of the town over the weekend?

Don't miss: Jack Daniel's partners McLaren Formula 1 team for exclusive new bottle

The teams

According to media intelligence firm Meltwater, McLaren emerged as the top keyword related to Formula 1, highlighting the team as the one to watch at the Singapore Grand Prix leading up to the race.

On 15 September, the keyword saw a spike in global conversations, largely driven by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The sentiment was mostly positive at about 54%. This marks McLaren Racing’s resurgence in the Constructors’ Championship after a decade, said Meltwater.

In the week leading up to the race, there were over 14,000 mentions of “McLaren”. This is a 407% increase in searches of the team as compared to last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.

The sentiment, according to Meltwater, was predominantly neutral (69%) and 37% positive. This global surge in volume was driven by anticipation for the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, with articles and posts covering topics such as potential driver promotions, past race highlights, the history of safety car appearances, and the possibility of rain during the event.

On race day, 22 September, "Red Bull" dominated the conversations with a reach of 280 million and an engagement of 8.3 million. It also garnered 10,299 mentions as compared to McLaren which garnered 10,123 mentions.

"Ferrari" comes after with 6,538 mentions on race day.

The stars

Meanwhile, Meltwater revealed that there was a notable spike in conversations on 16 September, led by K-pop fans.

Fans had expressed excitement after South Korean band BabyMonster announced their upcoming performance at the Singapore Grand Prix, joining other acts such as Kylie Minogue, One Republic and Lenny Kravitz.

There were also mentions of specific locations and venues, such as the Padang Stage and the Padang Pit Grandstands, where BabyMonster performed.

Interestingly, BabyMonster garnered significantly more mentions than Kylie Minogue and OneRepublic in the week leading up to the race. This marks the first appearance of a Korean girl group at the event, driving about 84% neutral and 15% positive sentiment among fans and increasing buzz around the race weekend, said Meltwater.

The sponsors

Pirelli, the official tyre supplier for Formula 1, emerged as the dominant sponsor in terms of the global share of voice (SOV), outperforming other sponsors in the lead-up to the Singapore Grand Prix.

Over the past month, Pirelli achieved a reach of approximately 80 million, coupled with over 957,000 engagements across digital platforms. This strong presence highlights Pirelli’s significant brand visibility at the Singapore Grand Prix, said Meltwater. This exposure positions Pirelli to further enhance brand recall and strengthen its association with high-performance motorsport too.

It is worth mentioning that Singapore Airlines saw a major spike in mentions during race day too, with 2, 734 mentions and earning 54% of SOV on the day after the race.

“F1 has been strategically expanding its appeal to a broader audience, notably through their Netflix documentary Formula 1: Drive to Survive, and we see their efforts paying off.

F1 has entered mainstream popularity and particularly in Singapore, there’s been a surge in anticipation for this weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in Singapore," said Mimrah Mahmood, vice president, enterprise (APAC) and partner at Meltwater Asia-Pacific.

"Even non-F1 related brands are jumping into the conversation and developing campaigns around the race weekend, such as Singapore Sports Hub’s Groovedriver Festival. Brands are creatively tapping into the growing excitement surrounding F1, and we can expect to see more trendjacking around this local moment in years to come," he added.

In fact, Tennessee whiskey brand Jack Daniel's partnered with the McLaren Formula 1 team for a new 2024 Jack Daniel’s x McLaren limited edition Tennessee whiskey, a one-time production bottle exclusively available in select stores worldwide.

This limited-edition bottle features a striking papaya twist on Jack Daniel’s iconic Old No. 7 logo and dynamic striping to capture the energy of the new race season.

"We’re proud to celebrate the continued partnership between Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and McLaren Formula 1 Team, two brands known around the world for representing a spirit of boldness and authenticity,” said Jamie Butler, Jack Daniel’s global brand director.

“Together, we’ve created unmatched fan experiences around F1 races and are looking to build upon that success and accelerate in the new race season," added Butler.

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