Italian tennis player and part of the Davis Cup winning team Jannik Sinner has been named as ‘Friend of F1’ as he explains his lover for the sport.

In a new marketing strategy, Liberty Media has named Italian tennis player Sinner – who is part of the Davis Cup winning team – as ‘Friend of F1’. In this role, he will attend certain grands prix to support and promote the sport through fan engagement.

The idea is not only to promote F1 but also tennis, as both of the sport is gaining wider and younger audience in recent times. “Being Italian, F1 is in my blood, so I couldn’t be more excited to be working with not only the best brand in motorsports, but the best sports platform in the world,” said Sinner.

“I am honoured to be given this opportunity and truly thrilled to be a Friend of F1. Putting it simply, I love cars, motorsport, and the thrill of racing and competing. One of the main reasons why I love F1, whether that’s watching, karting with my friends, or racing in a simulator, is because I feel there’s a lot of synergies between tennis and racing.

“I feel that in both sports it’s all about the 1% and it’s the small details that make a huge difference. I find it so interesting how teams can improve the car, and how the drivers maximise their performance and their skill set to beat their rival by milliseconds. It’s fascinating how they compete and perform under the most extreme pressure at the highest-level week in and week out.”

Elaborating more on what Sinner wishes to do, he added: “I want to help showcase the amazing things that [the] sport of racing has to offer and Formula 1 are the perfect partner to do so. This relationship is something totally different and unique, we’re both in such competitive environments and I think there’s a lot of synergies between the two, which this partnership will showcase.”

At the same time, F1 chief Stefano Domenicali welcomed Sinner as the first recipient of the new strategy: “Jannik is one of the most talented and exciting young athletes in the world right now so I am delighted that he will become a Friend of F1.

“As we continue to grow and engage new and diverse fans, it is vital that we continue to work with people outside of our sport to attract new audiences. This exciting opportunity will allow us to use Jannik’s incredible platform and bring together the worlds of F1 and tennis.”

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