American Express Reveal 2024 Formula 1 Plans on Heels of F1 Vegas Race

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The Las Vegas Grand Prix is over, and despite some early hiccups, all signs are pointing to the inaugural Formula One race in Sin City as being an overwhelming success.

Organizers say more than 315,000 fans descended upon Las Vegas last week, bringing in an estimated $1.2 billion worth of business to local hotels, restaurants and casinos. It was a star-studded affair too, with the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and David Beckham showing up to Sports Illustrated’s “Club SI” event; Justin Bieber and Leonardo DiCaprio at the h.Wood Group’s “The After” party at Delilah in Wynn; Lupita Nyong’o feting Red Bull driver Checo Pérez and Patron’s annual Mexican Heritage Tin; Rihanna supporting A$AP Rocky at the launch of his PUMA x F1 collection; and Brad Pitt spotted in the Williams Racing paddock (and in the stands) ahead of Saturday night’s big race.

For American Express, who recently announced a multi-year regional partnership with F1, Vegas marked the partnership’s first full-scale activation, with a dedicated “American Express Fan Experience” that gave card members an elevated view of the race alongside the Koval Straight, in addition to exclusive merch and a virtual race “simulator” complete with personalized avatars. Already a presence at major basketball, tennis and golfing events, F1 Vegas was Amex’s first new sports partnership in over a decade, and execs say they’re eager to build on the event’s success.

“We announced the F1 partnership in October, and we were very pleased with what we were able to offer card members at the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP),” says Mary Ellen Jelenek, SVP, Global Brand Marketing & Sponsorships at American Express. “All the feedback has been really good and I personally was just blown away. I mean, it was completely electric.”

Jelenek says that Amex started looking at an F1 partnership “about a year ago,” and quickly realized that it was a no brainer for the company to jump on board, noting that Formula One is “on track to hit a billion fans worldwide” by 2024. And, she adds, “If I look at our early indicators here in Vegas, more than half of the tickets purchased on a credit card were purchased on an Amex. So it’s already showing us that this was a really great fit.”

As the official sponsor of F1 in the Americas and the LVGP, Amex will offer its card members a host of exclusive benefits, including early access to Paddock Club and Grandstand tickets in the Americas (for races in Austin, Mexico City, São Paulo, Las Vegas, Miami and Montreal) and early access to F1 Experiences ticket packages at all other races around the world. Attendees also get perks like free Amex Race Radios, to tune into commentary from around the track, in addition to the aforementioned custom merch and activations. As Jelenek explains, “Card members can get friendship bracelets and crossbody bags [and] they can hydrate and stay caffeinated, which is clearly needed in these evening races. And we just want our card members to leave this experience saying that it was better because of American Express.”

The 2023 F1 season winds down this weekend in Abu Dhabi before starting up again in March with the Bahrain Grand Prix. The first race in the Americas is the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in June, which gives Amex a few months to fine tune their programming and offerings.

“We are just getting started,” Jelenek says, confirming that the brand is “already thinking about what’s to come as the next season starts up in the spring of next year.”

“In addition to early access to tickets, we’re going to continue to explore robust offerings for our customers at the various F1 races across North, South, and Central America,” she offers, teasing that fans should keep an eye on the Montreal race. “We’ll activate for the first time there next year and you can expect to see activations like this one in Las Vegas,” she says.

Jelenek is also keen to point out Amex’s work with the F1 Academy, Formula One’s all-female racing series that’s committed to creating equal opportunities for women in motorsports, both on and off the track. “The F1 Academy is a really interesting and important part for us,” she says. “F1 has a real priority on making sure that they’re bringing in female drivers, and growing that program, and it really aligns so perfectly with our brand and how we think about women in sports. We are looking forward to working closely with them to co-create ways to support the sport and their female drivers.”

This year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix was won by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, who was also crowned the 2023 Formula One World Champion. The Amex activation, meantime, comes on the heels of the brand’s recent partnership with Olivia Rodrigo, as part of their exclusive “Member Week” activation. The annual event grants American Express cardholders access to concerts, activations and other member-only perks, and this year’s featured artist was Rodrigo, who performed songs from GUTS for the first time in front of an intimate audience at the Ace Hotel theater in Los Angeles.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is over, and despite some early hiccups, all signs are pointing to the inaugural Formula One race in Sin City as being an overwhelming success.

Organizers say more than 315,000 fans descended upon Las Vegas last week, bringing in an estimated $1.2 billion worth of business to local hotels, restaurants and casinos. It was a star-studded affair too, with the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and David Beckham showing up to Sports Illustrated’s “Club SI” event; Justin Bieber and Leonardo DiCaprio at the h.Wood Group’s “The After” party at Delilah in Wynn; Lupita Nyong’o feting Red Bull driver Checo Pérez and Patron’s annual Mexican Heritage Tin; Rihanna supporting A$AP Rocky at the launch of his PUMA x F1 collection; and Brad Pitt spotted in the Williams Racing paddock (and in the stands) ahead of Saturday night’s big race.

For American Express, who recently announced a multi-year regional partnership with F1, Vegas marked the partnership’s first full-scale activation, with a dedicated “American Express Fan Experience” that gave card members an elevated view of the race alongside the Koval Straight, in addition to exclusive merch and a virtual race “simulator” complete with personalized avatars. Already a presence at major basketball, tennis and golfing events, F1 Vegas was Amex’s first new sports partnership in over a decade, and execs say they’re eager to build on the event’s success.

“We announced the F1 partnership in October, and we were very pleased with what we were able to offer card members at the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP),” says Mary Ellen Jelenek, SVP, Global Brand Marketing & Sponsorships at American Express. “All the feedback has been really good and I personally was just blown away. I mean, it was completely electric.”

Jelenek says that Amex started looking at an F1 partnership “about a year ago,” and quickly realized that it was a no brainer for the company to jump on board, noting that Formula One is “on track to hit a billion fans worldwide” by 2024. And, she adds, “If I look at our early indicators here in Vegas, more than half of the tickets purchased on a credit card were purchased on an Amex. So it’s already showing us that this was a really great fit.”

As the official sponsor of F1 in the Americas and the LVGP, Amex will offer its card members a host of exclusive benefits, including early access to Paddock Club and Grandstand tickets in the Americas (for races in Austin, Mexico City, São Paulo, Las Vegas, Miami and Montreal) and early access to F1 Experiences ticket packages at all other races around the world. Attendees also get perks like free Amex Race Radios, to tune into commentary from around the track, in addition to the aforementioned custom merch and activations. As Jelenek explains, “Card members can get friendship bracelets and crossbody bags [and] they can hydrate and stay caffeinated, which is clearly needed in these evening races. And we just want our card members to leave this experience saying that it was better because of American Express.”

The 2023 F1 season winds down this weekend in Abu Dhabi before starting up again in March with the Bahrain Grand Prix. The first race in the Americas is the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in June, which gives Amex a few months to fine tune their programming and offerings.

“We are just getting started,” Jelenek says, confirming that the brand is “already thinking about what’s to come as the next season starts up in the spring of next year.”

“In addition to early access to tickets, we’re going to continue to explore robust offerings for our customers at the various F1 races across North, South, and Central America,” she offers, teasing that fans should keep an eye on the Montreal race. “We’ll activate for the first time there next year and you can expect to see activations like this one in Las Vegas,” she says.

Jelenek is also keen to point out Amex’s work with the F1 Academy, Formula One’s all-female racing series that’s committed to creating equal opportunities for women in motorsports, both on and off the track. “The F1 Academy is a really interesting and important part for us,” she says. “F1 has a real priority on making sure that they’re bringing in female drivers, and growing that program, and it really aligns so perfectly with our brand and how we think about women in sports. We are looking forward to working closely with them to co-create ways to support the sport and their female drivers.”

This year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix was won by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, who was also crowned the 2023 Formula One World Champion. The Amex activation, meantime, comes on the heels of the brand’s recent partnership with Olivia Rodrigo, as part of their exclusive “Member Week” activation. The annual event grants American Express cardholders access to concerts, activations and other member-only perks, and this year’s featured artist was Rodrigo, who performed songs from GUTS for the first time in front of an intimate audience at the Ace Hotel theater in Los Angeles.