Putting the ‘power’ in empowerment: Charlotte Tilbury’s F1 sponsorship

Charlotte Tilbury has become the first-ever beauty brand to sponsor a Formula 1 car but the substance behind the partnership is more than skin deep.

F1 ACADEMY has unveiled a ground-breaking collaboration with Charlotte Tilbury, marking a significant milestone as the beauty brand becomes an Official Partner of F1 ACADEMY for the year 2024.

This partnership marks Charlotte Tilbury as the first female-founded beauty brand to join forces with F1 ACADEMY and marks the brand's inaugural venture into global sports sponsorship.

Renowned globally for its beauty empire, Charlotte Tilbury is promoting the partnership as part of its mission to empower individuals worldwide to feel and exude confidence through skincare and makeup.

Tilbury will use the rallying cry of "Dare to Dream it." emblazoned on the F1 ACADEMY race car, symbolising the collaborative effort to encourage individuals to pursue their aspirations.

In its capacity as an Official Partner, Charlotte Tilbury will use its global platform to spotlight F1 ACADEMY's current drivers, showcasing their accomplishments and highlighting the plethora of opportunities available to women in motorsport, both on and off the track.

Susie Wolff MBE, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY outlined the F1 ACADEMY's mission to revolutionise access to the sport, celebrate female trailblazers within the industry, and inspire a new generation of women to forge careers in motorsport.

Charlotte Tilbury, MBE, President, Chairman, CCO, and Founder of Charlotte Tilbury, echoed this sentiment, underscoring the brand's commitment to fostering confidence and empowerment universally. As a female founder, Tilbury expressed pride in being the inaugural beauty brand to support the talented drivers of F1 ACADEMY, championing their achievements and contributions to diversifying the traditionally male-dominated realm of motorsport.

The collaboration, which also marks the female-founded brand's first global sports sponsorship, saw teaser images showcasing the bodywork, which is adorned with Charlotte Tilbury's iconic Hot Lips illustration and the empowerment mantra 'Makeup Your Destiny.'

Camille Martin, Chief Marketing Officer - Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, meanwhile, took to Linkedin to annonce: “We will spotlight the academy’s 15 young female drivers, to raise more awareness about the opportunities this sport has to offer to women. And we have also unveiled our ‘Charlotte Tilbury operated by Rodin’ car, decorated with our iconic ‘Hot Lips’ and Charlotte's empowerment mantra ‘Makeup Your Destiny!’. The car will be driven by Lola Lovinfosse.

Lola Lovinfosse F1 Academy driver for Charlotte Tilbury

Our take

With around 40 per cent of F1 fans being female, it’s more surprising that branding targeted at this demographic isn’t more widespread in the sport. The dominance of male drivers might be part of the reason, and it was something this writer spoke about with (name drop) F1 legend David Coulthard about last year. He expressed anger that there were too many naysayers in the sport undermining the efforts of women.

This is a welcome move then, and the Charlotte Tilbury branding team have gotten their entrée into the sport perfectly on point. The brand is wisely using its clout to assist younger female drivers, proving this isn’t just a vanity project.

From a visual perspective, there’s something timeless to the car design, but cheeky and chic at the same time. Let’s hope the campaign helps promote inclusion and breaks down a few barriers.