Supercars backer aiming for Formula 1

According to the Boost founder, spending money in Formula 1 would mark a "crowning moment" in his decades of investment in motorsport around the globe.

However his bold plan of a Red Bull-inspired F1 programme hinges on Boost spreading its wings into the European and Asian markets, something he says the telco is planning to do in the near future.

“I do have a dream to see the Boost brand on an F1 car one day,” Adderton revealed in an interview with Greg Murphy for Repco's The Garage New Zealand.

"That would be the crowning moment for me. To see what Red Bull has done [in Formula 1]... we’ll keep driving towards that. That’s the pinnacle of what we want to do.

"We hope to launch Boost throughout Europe and some of those other markets, and Asia, which would then open that opportunity up to us.

"Formula 1 is big in Australia and America but you cannot justify doing it unless you’ve got a global brand in Europe as well."

Adderton's outspoken nature has helped him gain notoriety with Supercars fans in recent years, particularly through his no holds barred social media presence.

However he is by no means a newcomer to motorsport, having been heavily involved in the formation of the Australian Super Touring Championship in the mid-1990s.

Over the years he's spent money in a range of different disciplines, including NASCAR, IndyCar, MotoGP, Motocross and Supercars.

He also led a recent bid to purchase Supercars from Archer Capital, which made the final two before missing out to a TLA/ARG joint venture.

His current spend in Supercars includes primary backing for Brodie Kostecki's Erebus Holden and James Courtney's Tickford Ford, as well as the sensational wildcard entry that Greg Murphy and Richie Stanaway will race at the Bathurst 1000 in December.

Boost had also signed up to be the naming rights sponsor of the Gold Coast 500 before that event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

As for the future of his Supercars spend, including the two regular Boost-backed entries in the field, Adderton says it will depend on what the new owners offer sponsors.

“What we’re doing at Boost is we’re going to sit back and we’re going to wait for the new owners to come and present to us," he said.

“Is it 12 rounds, is it 14 rounds? Where’s the calendar going to go? What are you going to do on the digital side?

“What I want to see is what the new owners are going to do, and I give them the benefit of the doubt.

“If they can present to us a plan that excites us then obviously Boost will be there.

“But if we look at it and go hang on this is not going to work, then you have to sit back and take a more wait and see approach."

Adderton stressed that his current reluctance to commit funding to the category isn't sour grapes over the sale outcome, and that he would have expected other sponsors to do the same had his bid been successful.

“If I bought it, I’d expect everybody to say, ‘okay Adderton, what are you going to do with it?' before [they] invest millions of dollars into your ideas.”