Jim Beam has reached a multi-year, multi-million sponsorship agreement with Cadillac F1 ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Jim Beam
Ahead of the 2026 season, the new Cadillac F1 entry to the grid has one of its first sponsorship deals.
Historic American bourbon distiller, Jim Beam, has reached a multi-year partnership with Cadillac F1. Exact financial terms were not revealed, only saying that the sponsorship agreement was multi-million dollar in nature.
As part of the agreement, Jim Beam becomes the Official Spirits Partner of Cadillac F1.
The deal will see branding, both on and off the car, for the entire F1 schedule over the duration of the agreement.
“We are excited to bring the soul of Kentucky to the global stage of Formula 1 with Cadillac, a brand that’s been part of the Beam family’s story through the ages,” said Rashidi Hodari, managing director, James B. Beam Distilling Co.
“This partnership brings together two icons of American heritage to create something truly special,” said Cadillac Formula 1 Team Principal Graeme Lowdon. “Formula 1 is a global stage, and we want to take our fans on this journey with us every step of the way. Our vision goes beyond racing – we’re building a team that lives where sport, technology, and culture collide. With Jim Beam joining our family of partners, the momentum behind this project grows stronger every day as we gear up for our debut next year.”
Hodari added that Jim Beam has been working closely with Cadillac to craft accessible experiences on and off the track, which will be tailored to the cultures and consumers of each market around the globe.
“We’ll also insert custom, culturally appropriate branding in key markets, case-by-case, to display our brand in a way that’s authentic to the time, place, and respective race,” said Hodari when I asked about activation of the Jim Beam brand for Forbes.
Jim Beam is in the final stages of development for the activation schedule, which will be ahead of Cadillac’s car reveal in February of 2026. The first race on the 2026 F1 schedule is Australia on March 8th. In August, Cadillac F1 announced that Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas would pilot the team’s cars when they enter the field in 2026.
“Both car racing and making Jim Beam bourbon require every individual and moving part to come together to create a positive collective outcome,” said Hodari. “This is very in line with how we bring Jim Beam to the world. The pit crew and our distillery workers both know that it’s the power of their communities that allows for the win. It’s this common understanding of the importance of connection with the next generation of Formula 1 fans that inspires us.”
Jim Beam and Cadillac have had a relationship dating back more than a century. Fred Noe, Jim Beam’s seventh-generation master distiller, still drives a Cadillac as a tribute to the car that helped safeguard his family’s legacy.
The deal with Cadillac F1 marks a long history of Jim Beam’s partnership with sports properties. While this is their first foray into Formiula !, they have agreements with the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL; the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, as well as sponsorship agreements with the United States Soccer Federation (U.S.S.F), the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR in the U.S., and Dick Johnson Racing (DJR), Australia’s oldest racing team.