AI rocket fuel supplier Starburst hires F1 race champ Lando Norris as brand ambassador

Starburst, a distributed data source analyzer that describes itself as rocket fuel for AI, has hired 2025 Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris as its brand ambassador under a two-year sponsorship deal. Starburst founder and CEO Justin Borgman said Norris represents the combination of preparation, data, and split-second decision-making that enterprises need for AI, and the company is launching an 'Ask, Know, Go' marketing campaign. Norris, who earns around $60 million a year and drives for McLaren, will appear across digital, social, and event channels.

AI rocket fuel supplier Starburst hires F1 race champ Lando Norris as brand ambassador Distributed data source analyzer Starburst has recruited Formula1 world champion Lando Norris as its brand ambassador Starburst https://www.blocksandfiles.com/data-management/2025/04/08/starburst-ceo-in-ai-its-data-access-that-wins/1592322 , describing itself as rocket fuel for AI, develops and uses Trino open source distributed SQL to query and analyze distributed data sources. It was founded in 2018 and has raised $414 million funding, with its last round for $250 million in 2022. Briton Lando Norris drives for the McLaren Formula 1 racing team and was the 2025 world champion. He earns around $60 million a year and now he has a 2-year Starburst sponsorship deal as well. Justin Borgman, Starburst founder and CEO, said: “Lando represents what happens when preparation, data, and split-second decision-making come together. That's the challenge enterprises face with AI: ask the right questions, access the complete context behind the answer, and act before the opportunity passes. Starburst makes that possible by giving teams and AI agents governed access to data wherever it lives.” Starburst says Norris is a good ambassador for its brand because, it says, he connects the speed, precision, and data-driven decision-making of Formula 1 racing with the enterprise challenge of turning distributed data into trusted action. The company is launching an Ask, Know, Go marketing campaign with each word each mapping a moment in racing spotting an opening, reading the full picture, committing to the pass to a stage in enterprise decision-making. Norris is quoted thus: “People often see motor racing at the highest level as being about reactions, but most of the performance comes from preparation and understanding the details. I’m constantly asking questions, looking for information and trying to build the clearest possible picture before making decisions. Whether that’s racing, running a business or working with a team, having access to the right information at the right time gives you confidence to act. That’s what stood out to me about Starburst and why I’m excited to partner with them.” There will be a brand campaign across digital, social, and event channels. Starburst says Norris brings a built-in explanation for why a racing name fits a data company – he frames his own performance as being about preparation and information-gathering rather than reflexes, which is the exact positioning Starburst wants for an enterprise AI brand. There is, it says, an enterprise AI race in which organizations need to ask questions across all their data, understand the full context behind the answer, and act with speed and confidence. They should ask the right question, understand the full context, and act at the right moment. And no doubt good Starburst prospects and customers will get trips to Formula 1 races or other events to meet and greet Norris and see him race - and tell them to act at the right moment too. Starburst has no prior history of sponsoring sports events, teams or people. Norris has existing sponsorship deals with Ralph Lauren https://www.ralphlauren.co.uk/en/men/explore/polo-red/12030172?srsltid=AfmBOorU9MMtOMA9Xllp4MRWoYx 4nQCWCNNOTQ2vtX0XoQpdjTpVHdw fragrances, Tumi official luggage partner of the McLaren team , Bell Helmets, PlayStation Sony , Monster Energy drinks, Richard Mille https://www.richardmille.com/friends-and-partners/lando-norris luxury watches and others. We don’t know the money terms of the Starburst-Norris deal but a Formula 1 champ won’t come cheap.