Formula 1 Bets on Ticketing Disruptor to Reshape How Fans Purchase Tickets

Formula 1 ticketing has always been a complicated business. Think of the logistics – 24 races across 21 countries, with two more countries being added in 2027. A ticketing supplier that can handle that complexity while adding to other parts of the fan experience is crucial to Formula 1 in this most recent era.

Legacy has led how F1 operates in every business unit until now, as F1 announced that Fever will take its place at the helm of ticketing as their official supplier beginning with the 2027 season. Under the five-year agreement, Fever will build a new F1.com interface covering general admission, local hospitality, and Paddock Club tickets.

Their aim is to improve discoverability, purchase flows, customer service, and, by consequence, the entire fan experience.

The aim is standard for what fans are expecting of sporting leagues in 2026, but what is not standard is who F1 chose to do it. That choice signals where the sport's commercial ambitions are headed, taking chances on 'newer players' and innovating where other major sports have not.

F1's Largest Ticketing 'Shake-up' in Over a Decade

Fever is not a legacy ticketing company. That's the biggest statement to be made about this announcement. Founded in 2014, it is still a privately-held 'start-up' with a $1.8 billion valuation and 'unicorn status'. In layman's terms? The underdog just won the contract for one of the biggest sports in the world.

Fever built its platform on the entire fan experience, rather than focusing on a transaction endpoint. They are an end-to-end solution from production to advertising and promotion to that final ticket purchase – and live operations and analytics. On the business and consumer sides, Fever can do it all.

F1 is, of course, not their first foray into the sport. Fever has an existing deal to oversee ticketing, fan engagement, and entertainment programming at the 'Madring' race until 2035. F1 watched Fever operate within their own ecosystem first and were so impressed that they expanded to the entire race ecosystem before that first race even occurred.

Formula 1's Chief Commercial Officer, Emily Prazer, framed the ethos behind the decision pointedly:

"To maximize the overall experience of fans attending races, we want the consumer journey to be as seamless and enjoyable as possible. Having a strategic partnership that makes that process easier, like searching for and booking tickets, is critical so every aspect of the sport and their time at the track lives up to our high expectations."
Emily Prazer, CCO, F1

That is exactly what this new partnership is – strategic. For Formula 1, they can invest in something different and innovative that directly impacts every fan in their ecosystem. For Fever, this is the next step in earning that title as a 'unicorn' or 'disruptor' – arguably their most consequential contract to date.

Disrupting the Ticketing Industry and Impact on Fans

The timing of this deal aligns with the current state of ticketing as a whole. A yearlong DOJ antitrust case is working to loosen Ticketmaster's hold on the ticketing business and has opened the door for competitors, like Fever, to make their case of improved technology and fan experience to existing relationships.

F1 Austin Grandstands — Oct 23, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; A view of the front stretch grandstands and the paddock club at the start of the U.S. Grand Prix F1 race at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Of course, Ticketmaster isn't disappearing from Formula 1 ticketing, but the fallout of their public scrutiny is that legacy ticket operators are beginning to lose their grip on clients.

Fever has struck similar agreements with international series like SailGP, LIV Golf, among others, on top of their Formula 1 deal. For F1 specifically, though, the necessity isn't the technology angle, but the fan experience variable.

The same way that many global, team, and local Formula 1 sponsors have changed the way that they approach their partnerships – creating tangible experiences rather than light touch points – Formula 1 itself seems to be recognizing these expectations and acting on them.

F1 Fans in Miami GP Grandstand — May 5, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; F1 fans in the stands during the first practice at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

For F1, there is the famous stat that only 1% of all Formula 1 fans will ever attend a race. The stakes of capturing that audience from the moment that someone searches for a ticket to the moment they leave their event after the weekend are at their highest.

Fever is the business partner whose entire business model is built around this ethos: high quality and frictionless experience from start to finish.

Mariano Otero, SVP of Business Development at Fever, made the company's ambitions clear:

"This agreement is a testament to Fever’s leading role as a global technology partner for the most renowned and demanding sports properties in the world and its ability to deliver innovative technology solutions on a global scale. We have been admirers of Formula 1’s inspiring work building up a global fan base, and look forward to helping reach the next generation of fans."
Mariano Otero, Fever

For a sport that itself was 'disrupted' by Liberty Media's acquisition in early 2017, a major ticketing change nearly a decade later to the day feels almost poetic.

Formula 1 has spent this decade modernizing the sport from race locations to sponsors, broadcast, and its social presence, doing it most notably with their Apple TV deal that went into effect this season.

It feels like another major piece of the puzzle to modernize their ticketing as well.

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