Two new teams will line up on the grid at the opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Melbourne on March 8.
While the Audi Revolut F1 Team takes the place of Sauber, the Cadillac F1 Team debuts as a brand-new entity, with both incoming brands entering the sport for the first time.
As both Audi and Cadillac look to make a name for themselves, several established teams have also made changes to their brands ahead of the 2026 regulation reset.
But what is the reasoning behind such decisions, what does a brand refresh look like and how much thought, effort and money goes into making it happen?
To find out, Sector spoke to sports branding expert Todd Radom, who has more than three decades of experience helping teams and leagues reimagine their logos, badges and crests.
Across global sport, Radom has worked with organisations at every stage of the competitive cycle, from championship dynasties to teams attempting to rebuild their credibility. From his perspective, rebrands often follow familiar commercial patterns.
“They tend to come in a few different forms,” he explains.
“Most commonly, it is about rebooting and jumpstarting a new era. Quite often that follows a period of losing, when organisations want to change the narrative and shake things up. Other triggers include changes in ownership, sponsorship or major new partnerships.”
In F1, those forces are increasingly converging. New manufacturers are entering the sport, ownership structures are evolving, commercial expectations are rising, and teams are being asked to operate as global entertainment brands rather than niche motorsport operations.
But behind every public-facing brand refresh sits a long, complex and costly process that extends far beyond the unveiling of a new logo.
“These projects often begin years in advance, they take time because there are so many stakeholders involved,” said Radom.
“Legal teams, commercial partners, governing bodies, broadcasters and internal departments all have to align before anything can be signed off.”
The brand has to work for everyone, and it has to last. These decisions are not made for the next season. They are made for the next decade.
Todd Radom
In F1, where teams operate across multiple countries and answer to a web of commercial partners and regulators, that process becomes even more intricate.
Every logo, colour, typeface and graphic system has to function across race cars, factory environments, broadcast graphics, merchandise, hospitality, digital platforms and sponsor activations. The financial commitment required to execute that kind of transformation is substantial.
“A full rebrand can easily run into the millions of dollars once you factor in physical infrastructure,” Radom explains.
“Environmental graphics, signage, factory branding, hospitality, transport, uniforms and merchandise all have to be rebuilt. Digital is only part of the cost. The physical world is where budgets escalate very quickly.”
For teams, that investment is not discretionary. Branding underpins commercial value, sponsor appeal and fan engagement.
It shapes how an organisation is perceived by partners, investors and audiences around the world – but with that level of visibility and spend comes unavoidable hazards.
“Every rebrand carries risk,” added Radom.
“You are changing something that people have formed an emotional connection with. If it is not handled carefully, you can create confusion or alienate long-term supporters.
“The goal is durability. A successful identity should still be working in five years, not just on launch day. Success is about sustainability.
“The brand has to work for everyone, and it has to last. These decisions are not made for the next season. They are made for the next decade.”
Radom looked at three 2026 rebrands, as well as the sport’s own most recent attempt, to illustrate his points.
Mercedes
Having dominated the sport during the turbo-hybrid era, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has endured a more difficult competitive period in recent seasons and will be eager to mark the start of the new regulatory cycle with a return to form.
Alongside its technical reset, Mercedes has also refined its visual identity, streamlining its logo and repositioning the iconic three-pointed star above the team name.
For Radom, Mercedes represents the benchmark for corporate brand discipline in global sport.
“For large organisations like Mercedes, brand standards are extremely strict and tightly controlled,” he said.
“Every detail is governed, from logo placement and clear space to how the mark interacts with partners. The Mercedes star is a rare example of a logo that does not need words attached to it. It is symmetrical, highly recognisable and integrates cleanly with other brands.”
For Radom, modern sports branding now extends far beyond a single logo and any refresh has to consider many more factors than previously.
“Today, a brand is no longer just a badge on a uniform. It has to function across an enormous range of assets, from broadcast graphics and digital platforms to motion content and venue environments,” he added.
“One-colour logos, for example, are incredibly powerful tools in a world that demands instant recognition. Even small adjustments to a logo come with risk. Any change has the potential to alienate long-term fans, which is why these decisions are approached with such care.”
Williams
Other teams have made slight changes, too, with Oracle Red Bull Racing making almost unseen alterations to its colour-scheme, while TGR Haas F1 Team, for example, may have kept the same aesthetic but has revamped its logo due to a title partnership changing.
The Atlassian Williams F1 Team has undergone a full-scale rebrand, reverting to its historic team name and introducing a new visual identity rooted in its championship-winning past.
Radom believes the move reflects the enduring commercial power of heritage.
“Nostalgia is a powerful force,” he said.
“The past provides comfort and familiarity, particularly in a complex modern world. In sport, that sense of history carries real emotional and commercial value.”
For Williams, the rebrand represents a return to the foundations on which the team built its reputation.
“It is about tapping into something authentic, there is a genuine track record and equity there that the organisation can build upon,” explained Radom.
“Where a team like Mercedes has refined and streamlined an already successful modern identity, Williams is reaching back two decades to reconnect with a period when it was at the front of the sport. That heritage becomes the platform for the next chapter.”
Cadillac
The aforementioned Cadillac arrives in F1 for the first time, looking to make a splash with a livery launch set to air as a commercial during the Super Bowl on February 8.
The team has already leant into its American roots, announcing partnerships with Jim Beam and Tommy Hilfiger, looking to set itself apart from the 10 rivals it will now be competing with – on and off the track.
According to Radom, the brand’s global stature will heavily shape its approach.
“Cadillac is a well-established global brand, and it will approach Formula 1 accordingly,” he said.
“The Cadillac logo will need to look exactly as it should and carry the appropriate authority. As the primary investor, the company will quite rightly have a significant influence over how the team presents itself.
“This will almost certainly be a risk-averse approach. In a space with such a defined visual language, Cadillac is more likely to conform to the category than attempt to radically disrupt it.”
Formula 1
F1 itself undertook a major identity overhaul in 2018, replacing the logo it had used since the mid-1990s as part of Liberty Media’s wider repositioning of the championship.
“Representing an entire sport is fundamentally different to branding a single team or organisation,” said Radom.
While the change divided opinion at launch, Radom argues that time and repetition have done their job.
“Like all major rebrands, it generated strong reaction initially. But as audiences accumulated brand impressions, the identity settled. From a design perspective, it has been well received,” he added.
“A successful sports identity has to transcend language and culture. That is why pictogram-style marks are so powerful. They communicate instantly, anywhere in the world.”
In a championship that now operates on a global entertainment scale, brand identity has become part of competitive infrastructure.
It shapes how teams are perceived by sponsors, how manufacturers justify investment at board level and how fans connect with organisations across digital platforms, merchandise and live events.
For teams entering a new regulatory era, and for manufacturers investing billions into the sport’s future, branding has become inseparable from long-term strategy, and, for Radom, that is where the real work happens.
“Making things bombproof is what I always call it,” he said.
“You build assurances into the process. You are not designing for launch day. You are designing for longevity.”
