Back in the Pole Position: TAG Heuer Returns as Official Timekeeper to Formula 1

When Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, TAG Heuer will once again be the Official Timekeeper and Partner of the sporting event. As already announced in the fall of 2024, the tradition brand from La Chaux-de-Fonds will take over the role of Rolex following the end of the partnership that has been in place since 2013. As the Official Timekeeper of F1, TAG Heuer will sponsor the event for 10 years, having a significant presence both on and off the track, through trackside branding, Fan Zone and Paddock Club activations and new product ranges and cementing its reputation as a major player in the world of motorsport. Other prestigious racing and series the marque engages with include the Monaco Grand Prix, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the Carrera Panamerica, and the Indianapolis 500.

In recent years under Liberty Media’s ownership, F1 has become one of the most culturally significant and successful sporting championships in the world, with 750 million fans worldwide, more than 90 million followers across social media and a fanbase that is becoming younger and more diverse, with 42% of fans now women and 1 in 3 under 35 years old. The 2024 season saw 1.5 billion viewers tune into an epic season, where the wheel-to-wheel racing went down to the wire in an incredible battle between McLaren and Ferrari for the Constructors’ Championship in Abu Dhabi.

TAG Heuer's ties to motor racing and 1 are deep-rooted and go back several decades, embodying its long-standing association with speed, precision, and innovation. Over the years, TAG Heuer has become synonymous with high-performance chronographs and has established itself as a key player in the world of motorsports, with a particular focus on F1. It can draw on a number of premieres: The brand was the first to have its logo appear on a Formula 1 car in 1969, the first to sponsor a team in 1971 and, with 239 wins, 613 podiums, 9,471 points, 11 World Constructors’ Championships, 15 World Drivers’ Championships to its name through its associations with teams, it is one of the most successful firms in history to be associated with the highest class of motor racing.

The success story started in the 1960s, as F1 grew in popularity and Heuer became closely connected to the sport. One key moment was Jochen Rindt, who wore a Heuer Autavia 2446 during his career and won the 1970 World Championships posthumously.

Another pivotal event came when Jack Heuer, CEO of the company, met Swiss driver Jo Siffert. Heuer struck a deal for Siffert to promote the new Caliber 11 automatic chronograph in 1969.

Siffert raced with the Heuer logo on his Rob Walker Lotus 49B and suit, wearing an Autavia 1163 with white dial powered by the new movement. This marked the first time a luxury brand sponsored a F1 driver, setting the stage for Heuer's game-changing approach to sports marketing in motor racing.

In 1971, Ferrari was looking for a timing system for their new test track, Fiorano in Italy, the first purpose-built facility for a manufacturer. As the world’s leading producer of timekeeping equipment Heuer was a natural choice and the company developed a new device called the Le Mans Centigraph to allow the team to time their new cars and drivers at the facility.

The Le Mans Centigraph and Heuer employee Jean Campiche, its famous operator and a legend in the world of motorsport timekeeping nicknamed the “Pianist,” traveled the world with the team and provided independent timekeeping from the pit wall, helping Ferrari win the World Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in 1975 with Niki Lauda. Once other teams saw the success of the solution, including BRM, McLaren, Surtees and others, they were keen to acquire their own.

Heuer's relationship with Ferrari lasted until 1979, before they began a partnership with McLaren that would become one of the longest in F1 history. In 1985 Heuer was acquired by Techniques d’Avant Garde Group, which was also the owner of the McLaren Formula 1 team. This would not only give the company its new name, TAG Heuer, but also meant that their new logo would appear on the windscreen of the MP4/2C that won the World Drivers’ Championship with Alain Prost in 1986. In the same year, TAG Heuer launched a new watch with the fitting name TAG Heuer Formula 1, distinguished by brightly colored cases, straps and dials.

Another major moment occurred in 1988 when the up-and-coming Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna joined McLaren. From the following season he wore TAG Heuer watches and continued to do so on his way to three World Drivers’ Championships. Senna passed away in 1994, but his legacy with TAG Heuer continued. The company still works with the Senna Foundation, embracing the competitive spirit and personal values of the legendary driver.

In 1992 TAG Heuer became the Official Timekeeping partner for F1, showcasing its technical prowess by developing timing solutions still present in the sport. As well as data capture and processing, the system also provided a new dimension to the entertainment for viewers at home. TAG Heuer was also a part of two more World Drivers’ Championship victories for McLaren in 1997 and 1998 thanks to Miki Häkkinen before the new millennium.

The 2000s marked another successful chapter for F1, with the transition from V10 to V8 engines, intensive rivalries between celebrated drivers, and future stars arriving in the paddock. One of these new names to race for McLaren included Lewis Hamilton, who won his first World Drivers Championship in 2008 with a TAG Heuer on his wrist.

In 2015, after 30 years of successful collaboration TAG Heuer and McLaren parted ways. However, for the 2016 season, TAG Heuer joined Red Bull, a team that in a short space of time left an indelible mark on Formula 1. The relationship between TAG Heuer and Oracle Red Bull Racing resulted in four World Drivers’ Championship thanks to the exceptional Max Verstappen, as well as two consecutive World Constructors’ Championships. TAG Heuer’s partnership with Oracle Red Bull will continue alongside its responsibilities as Official Timekeeper for F1.

To learn more, visit TAG Heuer, here.