Formula 1 Partners With Zoom For Virtual Paddock Club

Formula 1 has partnered with Zoom to offer a virtual Paddock Club experience designed to offer hospitality despite the sport taking place behind closed doors.

The partnership is set to create a bespoke virtual hospitality offering for guests across the race weekend, featuring live updates and insight from some of the sport’s legends.

Zoom and F1 say they will provide the exclusive experience throughout the eight-race European season, while the pair will also look to work to expand the offering to F1’s Global Partners and its teams. 

“We understood the opportunity Zoom presented to us, which was about delivering a live sporting experience for guests despite the fact much of sport is currently behind closed doors,” said Ben Pincus, Director of Commercial Partnerships, F1.

“Zoom by its very nature is about enabling and connecting businesses remotely and this partnership, which has been developed virtually, is an example of just that. We are excited to work with Zoom to continue to connect businesses and their VIPs through this virtual hospitality experience. 

“We hope this will be the first of many innovations we roll out in the coming months for our partners. Over the past few months, through Project Pitlane and Virtual Grand Prix races, we have seen the ability to innovate is imperative as we collectively adapt to an environment that continues to evolve.” 

The partnership, facilitated by CAA Sports through its global representation of F1, will see Zoom work with the single-seater motorsport series to provide new future business opportunities by creating virtual experiences around live sport even after the return of fans to the racetrack.

Janine Pelosi, CMO, Zoom, said: “We at Zoom are thrilled to kick off the Virtual Paddock Club with Formula 1. During this challenging time, organisations such as Formula 1 still need to provide engaging experiences for fans and enterprises need to offer unique opportunities for their top prospects, and Zoom is here to help. 

“The Virtual Paddock Club is the best way to recreate that VIP sports experience from home. Long run, there’s an opportunity for a hybrid virtual/in-person model so distance is no longer a barrier to sports hospitality.” 

The video communications platform has seen record growth during the coronavirus pandemic, reaching over 300 million daily meeting participants in the month of April, at the height of the global lockdown.