Source: REUTERS/Phil Noble
[Saba Sports News] Polish oil giant ORLEN has announced its formal exit from F1, ending a six-year sponsorship journey. ORLEN is a major petrochemical producer in Poland, engaged in refining and selling gasoline, fuel oil, and other petroleum products, with 90 subsidiaries under its umbrella. ORLEN made its F1 debut in the 2019 season, sponsoring Polish driver Robert Kubica’s Williams F1 team; it later partnered with Alfa Romeo F1 team from 2020 to 2022 and was a partner of the Red Bull Racing team for the past two years. According to statistics, ORLEN invested approximately 40 million euros in sponsorship during its two-year collaboration with Red Bull Racing. However, ORLEN has not abandoned motorsports; they plan to use the F1 sponsorship budget to establish an “ORLEN Racing Academy.” Some fans have expressed that, given the lack of Polish drivers in the current F1 lineup, it would be more meaningful for ORLEN to invest in grassroots training and support the development of Polish racing talent.