Formula 1 has seen its fair share of dodgy sponsors over the years, but these four take it to another level. From Ponzi schemes to billion-dollar collapses, these sponsorship deals had the entire paddock wondering if anyone actually checks these companies before putting their logos on the cars.
In this video, we dive into some of the most bizarre and disastrous F1 sponsorship deals, including:
Moneytron and the wild story of Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, the man who convinced half of Belgium that he had a supercomputer capable of predicting the stock market. Turns out, it was all a Ponzi scheme, and his so-called "supercomputer lab" was just a broom cupboard.
FTX, the crypto giant that went from a $32 billion valuation to bankruptcy in just ten days. Mercedes thought they were onto a winner, but they ended up scrubbing FTX logos off their cars mid-season as the whole thing came crashing down.
T-Minus and the mystery of Prince Malik Ado Ibrahim, who promised Arrows £125 million but never actually delivered. No one really knew what T-Minus even was – an energy drink, a motorcycle brand, or just a fancy-sounding scam? Either way, the money never showed up.
Sugarbook, the "dating" app that somehow managed to sponsor an F1 party during the Singapore GP before officials realized what it actually was. Let's just say it wasn’t exactly aligned with F1’s family-friendly image.
F1 teams have a long history of taking money from just about anyone willing to pay, and these stories prove that sometimes, they don’t ask enough questions. Let me know in the comments if I missed any other ridiculous F1 sponsorship scandals, and don’t forget to subscribe for more F1 madness.