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Sometimes on the Test Your Ad platform, a viewer comment really says it all. “I’ve never liked F1”, wrote one respondent, “But this advert genuinely made it look so cool!” Sky Sports have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive new viewers to F1, and they’re making the most of it in this week’s Ad Of The Week.
What makes this such an opportunity? F1 has been having a cultural moment, with the Best Picture nominated F1 film starring Brad Pitt serving as a way to celebrate classic motorsport cool as well as get a new generation interested. But the most important part of F1’s 2026 season is the new set of rules drivers are racing under, as the sport goes through what the FIA ruling body calls a “complete reboot”.
As well as lighter, nimbler cars in 2026, there’s a new power system finely balanced between fuel and electric power, with a new set of tactical choices involving when to harvest and boost that stored electrical energy. It’s a system that promises more surprises, bolder tactics and more exciting on-track battles. But it’s also a complicated one to get your head round as a viewer.
In the advert, Sky Sports have wisely chosen not to try and communicate any of these details. Instead they’re concentrating on the novelty of the rules without spelling them out, and trying to get across the excitement of watching motorsport. There’s close-ups of the various drivers’ eyes in their helmets with various expressions – excited, happy, tense and determined – while the soundtrack is the revving of engines as the race is about to start.
It’s a real “less is more” demonstration, paring the sport down to its most critical components – competition, excitement and mechanical power. And it’s one that speaks to viewers, scoring a very strong 4.9-Star Rating on Test Your Ad. That’s a really excellent score for an advert for sports programming, since many of the viewers won’t already have an interest in F1 or even in sports as a whole. But as that audience comment shows, the advert wins them over.
Sky’s ad also gets an exceptional Spike Rating, predicting a major short-term sales (and in this case viewing) boost. On both these measures, and on Brand Fluency (fast and accurate brand recognition) the ad scores much higher than the TV category average.
In our report The Sport Dividend we look at the key elements that make sports sponsorship and sports ads successful. One of the main pieces of advice is to use footage of actual competition as it’s more effective than training scenes in creating that sense of real sporting excitement. In recreating the opening moment of a F1 race in such a bold, clear and colourful way, Sky Sports give us a great example.
“The 2026 season isn’t just another year of F1, with new cars, new rules, new teams, it’s an entirely new era for the sport. The campaign encapsulates this energy, putting viewers on the start line as the drivers prepare for a season of unknowns. No one knows what’s going to happen, but we know it’s going to be one of the most exciting seasons ever. And the best place to take it all in? Sky Sports.”
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