The new branding will feature across nine races in the F1 calendar.

British American Tobacco (BAT) and Avolta have expanded their commercial partnership with a new collaboration for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Under the agreement, across nine races in the F1 calendar, BAT will share a portion of its BAT-owned branding space on the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team car with Club Avolta – Avolta’s global loyalty programme.

The expanded collaboration reflects the growing strategic alignment between BAT and Avolta. With more than 5,100 outlets across over 70 countries and a database of 15 million adult loyalty members, Avolta provides significant global reach.

BAT’s smokeless portfolio – including Vuse, glo and its nicotine pouch brand VELO – continues to grow, driven by worldclass science and consumer-led innovation.

The integration of McLaren Mastercard F1 Team branding alongside Avolta’s global footprint and digital touchpoints aims to offer a powerful vehicle to enhance the visibility of BAT’s smokeless products. This includes expanded visibility and distribution opportunities for VELO to adult consumers across key travel corridors, where regulations permit.

BAT & Avolta rev up reach 

BAT Cluster General Manager Global Travel Retail and China Andy Hrstic commented: “We are thrilled to be able to bring this initiative to life in partnership with Avolta, and with the support of the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team.

“This partnership highlights the strong and growing strategic alignment between BAT and Avolta, and the value we can unlock when we bring our respective strengths together. The combination of Avolta’s global scale with BAT’s consumer-led innovation enables us to deliver richer, more engaging experiences for adult consumers across the travel retail channel.”

BAT executives Andy Hrstic (above left) and Alberto Henao Lafaurie (above right) acknowledged the initiative as a powerful way to amplify visibility.

BAT Customer Group Manager Alberto Henao Lafaurie noted: “Extending the collaboration between Avolta and BAT GTR to the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team platform reinforces our shared ambition – it gives us a powerful new way to enhance visibility, build awareness of our smokeless brands, including our market leading nicotine pouch brand VELO, and raise the standard of execution in one of the world’s most dynamic retail environments.”

Avolta Chief Commercial Officer Nicolas Girotto added: “Bringing Club Avolta to the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team stage reinforces our global brand presence and demonstrates what strong strategic partnerships can achieve at scale.

Avolta Global Category Management Director – Liquor, Tobacco and Food Eduardo Heusi (above left) and Avolta Chief Commercial Officer Nicolas Girotto (above right) paid tribute to the group’s strong strategic partnership with BAT.

“Through this collaboration, we are creating high-impact moments that connect with adult travellers across our markets and strengthen our commercial impact. We look forward to building further momentum together.”

Avolta Global Category Management Director – Liquor, Tobacco and Food Eduardo Heusi commented: “This partnership reflects the strength of our long-standing relationship with BAT and our shared ambition to elevate brand engagement across global travel retail.

“By connecting our retail footprint with one of the world’s most prestigious sporting platforms, we are creating new opportunities to strengthen brand visibility and enhance the experience for adult travellers across our markets.”

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