Orlen was not the first - Polish sponsors in F1

Sponsors in Formula One are one of the main factors in the proper operation of any team. Throughout history, we have even seen several cases of sponsors from Poland, which is not usually associated with Formula One. From a vodka manufacturer to an oil company, their stories in F1 are presented below.

The first time a Polish product appeared as a sponsor in Formula 1 was when banners advertising a well-known spirit drink, Wyborowa vodka, were displayed. These banners could be seen during the Monaco Grand Prix in 1978. This was made possible thanks to the involvement of French distributors who wanted good advertising for their product.

The Polish helicopter company sold part of its shares to a Swedish aerospace consortium in 1996. The Swedes wanted to advertise the main product of PZL Świdnik, the 'Sokół' helicopter, as well as possible. They decided that the best way to do this would be to sign a contract with one of the Formula 1 teams of the time. This is how the proud inscription 'Sokół helicopters' found its way onto the rear wing of the Forti Corse team's race car later that year, starting with the Canadian Grand Prix.

Few people know that it was a Polish company that initiated the sponsorship of teams by cryptocurrency companies. The first such sponsorship was Futurocoin, founded by Polish businessman Roman Ziemian. It became a sponsor of Red Bull Racing for the 2019 season. Unfortunately, however, Futorocoin turned out to be a financial pyramid, so the deal was broken and the founder was arrested in November 2022.

The Polish sports totalizator, i.e. the originators of Poland's biggest lottery "Lotto", made sure to advertise well. While supporting Robert Kubica, they placed the logo of their product, on the helmet and suit of the Polish driver from the Spanish GP in 2010.

In the same year, brokerage house X-Trade Brokers became a sponsor of McLaren. They sponsored the team from Woking for two more years.

The energy drink brand N-GINE also had its episode. They sponsored Renault when Robert Kubica was their driver. They even managed, in collaboration with Renault, to organise an event in Poznań called the 'N-GINE Renault F1 Team Show'.

When Robert Kubica returned to Formula 1, he brought Lotos Group with him as a sponsor. Their logo was on his racing suit and jerseys. After a one-year sponsorship period, they were replaced by PKN Orlen

The only Polish title sponsor, and also the biggest, is PKN Orlen. The Polish energy company entered the game as Williams' sponsor in 2018. They managed to provide Robert Kubica with a race seat in 2019. The Pole's team, however, did not show its best side during the season of the year and, as a result, the Polish sponsor decided not to extend the contract, but this was only the beginning of Orlen's story.

After the contract with the Wantage-based stable was terminated, the Polish sponsor wanted to stay in F1. They hoped to sign a contract with Alfa Romeo, Haas and Racing Point, among others. In the end, it fell to Alfa Romeo. They managed to get a much better contract, Orlen became the title sponsor, but unfortunately failed to secure a seat for the Polish driver. Since then, the Polish company has remained Alfa's main sponsor and, for the time being, there is no sign of this changing.