The pinnacle of speed and precision, Formula One has long been touted as one of the most exciting and important forms of motor racing. Over the past century, top carmakers have vied to produce machines that can outrace their competitors on the track. This led to the European Drivers’ Championship in the 1920s that ultimately became Formula One some three decades later.
The watchmaker supported Sir Jackie Stewart, a three-time FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Champion, starting in 1968, so it’s only natural that in 2013, Rolex became the official partner of the world championship itself.
In the 2024 season, 10 teams are vying for the title, competing in 24 races across five continents. Tapping into innovative technology to shave their track times and ensure the utmost precision, the well-funded teams represent excellence in the realm of automotive engineering and racing. As Global Partner and Official Timepiece of Formula One, Rolex is very much a key player supporting the circuit’s success.
The year’s FIA Formula One World Championships – its 75th no less – kicked off in Bahrain in March, with the last race to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 8. Of its 24 stops, two are sponsored directly by the watchmaker: the Rolex Australian Grand Prix, held back in March, and the Rolex Belgian Grand Prix, coming up in July.
Helping to adjudicate all this and an ever-present at Grand Prix races is the Rolex Pit Lane Clock that has become a symbol of precision and speed in the world of motorsports.
A number of Rolex Testimonees also feature heavily at Formula One events, including former drivers nine-time Grand Prix winner Mark Webber and Stewart, who is set to celebrate the 55th anniversary of his first Formula One win this year.
Stewart, a long-time Rolex Testimonee, shares that the watchmaker has certainly raised the standards of the sport. “Rolex and Formula One have rewritten engineering excellence and the level of teamwork required to succeed,” he says.
Also celebrating a milestone in 2024 is Rolex Testimonee Jenson Button, who, with his Brawn GP team, won the FIA Formula One Drivers’ World Championship in Interlagos, Brazil, 15 years ago. The veteran says as the sport evolves, the excitement never stops. “It’s great to see how the sport has evolved since I competed. I’m expecting to see spectacular racing throughout the field again this year,” Button shares.
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