Ellie Norman believes in the power of people.
That conviction has been a driving force throughout her career, most recently as chief marketing officer at Formula E, a role she began in October 2024 following a period leading communications for Manchester United. Before that, she was instrumental in transforming Formula One, one of the world’s premier motorsport series, after Liberty Media acquired it in 2017.
From Paddock to People: Norman’s Formula E Strategy
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Norman aims to replicate her success in Formula One by focusing on the drivers and their stories.
When Norman arrived at Formula One, fan engagement was an afterthought. She spearheaded a reimagining of the championship, prioritizing social and digital platforms to humanize the drivers and attract a new generation of fans. By the time she departed in 2022, after overseeing Formula One’s first major rebrand in 23 years, she had laid the foundation for significant global growth and diversification of its fanbase.
Now, at Formula E, Norman sees parallels. While marketing channels have evolved, she maintains that the core principle remains the same: “My mantra and ethos has always been that people buy people,” she says. “That very much was a catalyst for how do we open up the paddock, start to tell more of the stories around the drivers themselves, their journeys into the sport, the highs and the lows, the rivalries.”
“Now, I think that is as true for Formula E as it is for other sports. Today, so many new fans come to a sport through the athlete or the driver, and so the similarity and the opportunity is to have the driver share more about their journeys, their personalities, what interests them outside of racing, or how they’ve got to where they are. And I think by doing that, it really grows the interest and the appeal and the stickiness of the league itself.”
“So I would say that’s relevant for us today in Formula E, and it was certainly relevant for Formula One when I joined in 2017.”
A Different Challenge: Building a New Fanbase
Growing a relatively new motorsport series like Formula E presents a unique challenge compared to established championships like Formula One. Launched in 2014, Formula E positioned itself as a leader in sustainable sport, showcasing electric vehicle technology in major cities. This attracted automotive brands like Nissan, Audi, and BMW, as well as sponsors including DHL, Julius Baer, and Google Cloud.
While sustainability remains central to Formula E’s identity, Norman emphasizes a growing focus on the excitement, competition, and high stakes that build credibility as an elite sport. The series also naturally appeals to a broader audience due to its environmentally conscious roots.
Norman describes Formula E’s fans as “urban, open-minded and progressive,” noting that sport is part of their broader “entertainment diet” alongside technology, design, gaming, and fashion. The core demographic, she says, is millennials and Gen Z.
Influencers and the Power of Co-Creation
Formula E’s current objective is to “build our fame,” and Norman is leveraging creators and micro-influencers to reach its target audience. A prime example is Evo Sessions, where celebrities and creators with a combined following exceeding 300 million participated in a time trial event, documenting their training beforehand. The event later aired as a documentary on CBS.
Further collaborations, including a sponsorship deal with MrBeast’s Feastables brand, demonstrate the increasing role of influencers in Formula E’s marketing strategy. Norman also highlights the series’ flexibility in broadcast arrangements, allowing for co-creation with influencers around live races.
This approach is coupled with a free-to-air media rights strategy, including a deal with ITV in the UK, aimed at making Formula E “easy to find and easy to buy.”
“The thinking is how can we co-create with these micro-influencers and the creators to essentially give them Formula E and allow them to explain and talk about the sport to their own audiences?” Norman said during an appearance at the SportsPro Media Summit in Madrid.
“That’s quite different to tactics that I’ve worked on with my team in the past in other sports, but the alignment with our fanbase and where the growth is coming from is very, very strong.”
The Flywheel Effect and Future Growth
While not the first to utilize influencers, Formula E’s approach feels particularly natural given its origins in the digital age. The strategy appears to be working: Formula E reports a global fanbase of 422 million by the end of season 11, a 13 percent increase. Digital impressions surpassed 1.39 billion in 2025, with Evo Sessions accounting for 42 percent of total video views.
However, Formula E currently lacks the substantial media rights deals of more established sports. The challenge now is to monetize the growing audience attracted through influencer marketing—through media, sponsorship, or merchandise sales.
Norman and her team are focused on making Formula E “hard to leave” in the next 12 months, confident that revenue will follow. “In the long-term, it really is that flywheel effect,” Norman explains. “That’s how we’re really getting all of those cogs to work together with a view of just growing that addressable digital audience.”
“In time, that becomes of value, not only to commercial partners, but to our race promoters who are hosting races in their country, and equally your ticketing and merchandising.”
“So it’s really taking that long-term view of where will the growth come from, and ensuring it is as sustainable as possible.”
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