25 Years Later, Nike is Considering a Return to F1
In 1996, Nike partnered with racing legend Michael Schumacher to create racing shoes, a collaboration that lasted until 2002. Since then, for nearly 25 years, Nike has not sponsored any team or driver. Meanwhile, competitors like Puma and Adidas have continuously carved out a presence on the F1 circuit.
According to Sports Business Journal, Nike has recently set its sights on F1 again, meeting with F1 management and Cadillac team executives. However, since Puma has been the official partner for F1 merchandise and co-branded apparel for years, with a solid relationship, Nike's more likely partner is the Cadillac team.
At the Miami F1 Grand Prix in May, Cadillac team CEO Dan Towriss and his wife were gifted custom Nike Dunk Low sneakers with the Cadillac F1 team logo (pictured below). Currently, the Cadillac team's apparel sponsor is Tommy Hilfiger, but they do not yet have a footwear sponsor.
In recent years, Nike's biggest competitor, Adidas, has been ramping up its involvement in F1. Mercedes switched from Puma to Adidas in 2025, and Audi will follow in 2026. According to reports, Red Bull will also partner with Adidas starting in 2027. Per Germany's Bild, the Red Bull-Adidas contract is approximately three years, with a total value of around 81 million euros, or about 27 million euros per year.
Between 1996 and 2002, Nike signed a personal sponsorship deal with Michael Schumacher, creating signature racing shoes and providing custom sneakers and off-track apparel, but did not partner with the Ferrari team. In 2002, FILA reached an apparel sponsorship agreement with the Ferrari team and Schumacher personally, and Nike subsequently exited F1 entirely.
In recent years, F1's commercial value has undergone dramatic changes, with the U.S. market being the core region of its growing influence. Nike's global CEO Elliot Hill, who took office last year, is committed to getting the brand back on track, and F1 is one of the few top-tier global sports that Nike is currently not involved in. Many overseas media outlets believe that continuing to wait means losing market share, and a return is a must—the question is how quickly they act.
| Source: Sports Business Journal; GP Fans
| Image credit: Co-branded product press release; NSS Sport