Lando Norris is not just fighting for his first Formula 1 world championship in 2025 – he’s also becoming a prototype for the modern racing tycoon.
As he battles the likes of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen on track, the McLaren driver is simultaneously scaling up a multi-million pound digital-first business empire that blends racing, gaming, streaming, fashion, and content creation.
Earlier this month, he announced the sale of a stake in Quadrant, the motor sport brand he founded, to the racing and gaming business Veloce, which made a £355,000 profit on revenues of £12.8m last year. The move gives him a share of both businesses; an even greater fanbase; and the potential for a lucrative return.
“Demand for content among the sport’s growing fanbase is essentially insatiable,” Mark Gallagher, former Red Bull executive and marketing chief at Jordan, tells Motor Sport.
“There has never been a greater opportunity for drivers to monetise the fame and profile which comes with being a Formula 1 star.”
“Each driver is a brand in his own right, and the extent to which they exploit that is down to individual tastes and motivations,” adds Gallagher, currently the CEO of Performance Insights.
“While Max Verstappen has become known for his love of sim-racing, Valtteri Bottas has invested time and effort in building a cult following on social media through humorous videos and posts.”
Few have seized that opportunity like Norris.
Norris’s brand is focused on content creation and apparel, among other things
Getty Images
The McLaren driver spent much of his young career building a personal brand rooted in gaming, streaming, and streetwear culture through his Quadrant company, as he scaled the heights of F1.
What is Quadrant?
Founded in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns, Quadrant began as a community, offering a unique blend of gaming, motor sport, content creation, and apparel.
“Quadrant is my dream,” said Norris when launching the company. “It’s something I’ve been working on for quite some time, and I’m super excited to launch it.
“It’s effectively an esports team, but so much more at the same time. I’m very proud of what we’ve done and what we’ve created. There will be a lot of fun and a lot of laughs.
“I’m a gamer at heart, but I’m also passionate about apparel and getting closer to my fans. I’ve always been keen to build a brand of my own, so this is a great way to blend all of that together whilst having fun with a few of my good friends.”
Norris, already a prominent figure in both real-world racing and online streaming, envisioned a brand that would bridge his passions and connect with fans in new ways.
Quadrant quickly evolved into a dynamic motor sport community, producing behind-the-scenes content, collaborating with athletes, and launching distinctive apparel lines.
Its content has featured collaborations with popular creators and has built a strong following: it currently boasts nearly seven million combined followers across video and streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Norris had already developed a loyal fanbase through his raw, often silly, sometimes chaotic Twitch streams — a refreshing contrast to the buttoned-up image of the typical F1 driver.
“While content creators and influencers play an increasingly important role in driving narratives about the sport to these audiences, the drivers are uniquely positioned to capitalise on their position at the centre of the Formula 1 story,” Gallagher says.
“They can determine what, when and how they interact with fans, build online communities and create offerings which make the most of the unique bond that exists between sports star and fan.”
What started as a passion project for Norris quickly took on a more serious business tone.
Norris’s brand is mainly focused on apparel and content creation
Grand Prix Photo
Within months, Quadrant was selling out limited-edition merchandise drops, securing commercial partners, and cultivating a strong community.
Quadrant’s collaborations
It has formed partnerships with athletes such as WRC driver Oliver Solberg, F1 Academy’s Bianca Bustamante and Australian skateboarder Keegan Palmer among others.
Notable partnerships include working with Liberty Walk on a special-edition helmet for Norris at the Japanese Grand Prix, blending anime-inspired design with car culture and launching a themed merchandise collection.
Quadrant has also teamed up with SCUF Gaming to release custom controllers and support its esports teams, while JBL Quantum serves as the official headset partner, providing audio gear for creators and integrating products into content.
In January 2024, Quadrant closed a “seven-figure” investment round, meaning the company attracted new funding in the range of at least £1 million to just under £10 million.
While the exact figure was not disclosed, this round was described as one of the largest for a UK-based esports and content brand at the time.
Late last year, Quadrant stepped away from esports to refocus its efforts on content creation, fashion, and motor sport culture — the areas most closely aligned with its original vision.
Financial pressures also played a role: despite securing a seven-figure investment and strong apparel sales, the company ended 2023 with a negative balance sheet totalling just over £400,000 of liabilities. That was followed by a strategic shift away from the unpredictable world of competitive esports.
Veloce has been an esports pioneer
Veloce
Sale to Veloce
Now, with its acquisition by Veloce announced this week, the company and its followers have gained a much bigger stage.
Norris remains the second-largest shareholder in Quadrant, holding over 20% of the business, after Veloce’s majority stake.
“Quadrant’s distinctive brand, strong community, and proven commercial success will complement Veloce’s existing operations, while also opening new avenues for growth across merchandise, live experiences, and digital content,” Veloce said.
“The move solidifies Veloce’s leadership in blending sport, entertainment, and youth culture — all while accelerating revenue growth and brand visibility for both companies.”
Veloce is no stranger to the world in which Norris operates. The company was an early mover in the sim racing boom, launching competitive esports teams and digital-first motor sport content long before it was fashionable.
It works with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren in esports, ran a team in the real-world Extreme E championship, and has more than 37m subscribers across its digital platforms.
In the 12 months to June 2024, it generated more than £2m from esport team management, almost £2.5m in sponsorship and £1.5m in advertising, but most of its income came from selling blockchain tokens for use across its network, raking in £6.7m.
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By bringing Quadrant under the Veloce umbrella, the two companies aim to consolidate their audiences and expand their commercial reach. For Norris, it means his brand now benefits from Veloce’s infrastructure.
Crucially, the McLaren driver now holds a stake in both businesses, putting him at the centre of the growing culture that mixes racing, sport, content creation, apparel and gaming.
He is now in the rare position of being a top-level athlete with genuine influence in the fast-growing esports and creator economy.
Norris’s example also shows a redefined version of what it means to be an F1 driver in 2025.
As F1 continues to chase younger audiences, Norris might well be the blueprint for the driver the championship needs, not just on the track, but also off it.
“The acquisition of Quadrant by Veloce, which offers a much broader reach across today’s digital media landscape, looks like an ideal fit as it gives Norris access to larger audiences and a wider spectrum of commercial deals,” Gallagher believes.
“F1’s new fanbase, which is younger, more gender and culturally diverse, responds well to drivers who reflect the interests of that same demographic.
“With over 350 sponsors now battling for exposure, it’s a sometimes-cluttered environment, but this gives drivers an opportunity to help them rise above the crowd by creating authentic content at the heart of Formula 1.
“The commercial opportunities driven by this are only going to increase over time.”
