When a sports partnership proposal lands on your desk, the first question is never "is this a nice project". It is: how much, for what, and how do I justify it internally. Motorsport suffers from a lack of transparency on exactly this point, which leads many executives to file the subject away without ever examining it.
This article approaches the problem through the numbers: the real cost of a KZ karting season in 2026, that of a Formula 4 season in 2027, where that money goes, and what each level of commitment actually costs a company once tax treatment is applied.
€105,000 then €300,000: two seasons, two orders of magnitude
Jaden Beye is 15 years old, comes from Chartres, holds a licence with ASK Rouen and drives for Matec Competition, the team run by Didier Blot, who guided Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon before they reached Formula 1. His trajectory is set and dated: 2026 season in KZ, move to Formula 4 with the FFSA Academy in 2027, Formula 3 in 2028, then F2 and F1.
One factor changes the scale of the proposal as early as 2026: Jaden Beye is entered in the KZ2 World Cup, held at Le Mans Karting International from 17 to 20 September 2026. It is the category's benchmark event worldwide, run under the authority of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). For a finance director, the difference is not cosmetic: the budget below does not fund a leisure season, it funds a season that culminates in an FIA-homologated world competition.
Every step up has its cost. Moving from gearbox karting to a single-seater multiplies the budget by almost three.
| Item | 2026 season | 2027 season |
|---|---|---|
| Category | KZ, gearbox karting | Formula 4, FFSA Academy, single-seater |
| Season budget | €105,000 | €300,000 |
| Number of races | 20 races | Full single-seater season |
| Brand placement | The livery and the race suit | The single-seater livery and the race suit |
| Key highlight | KZ2 World Cup, Le Mans Karting International, 17 to 20 September 2026 | First single-seater season |
These amounts are not stated ambitions, they are operating budgets. The project is run by JB Racing, a French non-profit association under the 1901 law whose registered office is at 9 rue des Colonnes, 75002 Paris, France, an organisation that supports drivers and that, for a company, has the advantage of making the commitment traceable and documented. How the organisation works is detailed in our article on the JB Racing association.
Where a season's money actually goes
A motorsport season budget is not a communication budget. It is an industrial operating budget: equipment that wears out every lap, a technical team that travels, logistics that follow the calendar.
Technical costs
Sodikart chassis, engine, wear parts, tyres. In racing, a tyre is a consumable, not a piece of equipment: it is replaced from one race weekend to the next. On top of this comes the preparation of the equipment between each round by the Matec Competition team.
Sporting costs
Championship entries, licences, private testing. A driver does not improve in races, he improves in testing: track time outside competition is a spending line in its own right, and it is often the first one sacrificed when the budget is short.
Human costs
Technical support over the race weekends, physical preparation, mental preparation with Gilles Binet, sports psychologist. Across 20 races in 2026, this support structure directly determines the consistency of the results.
Logistics costs
Transport of the equipment, travel, accommodation for the team across the whole calendar, all the way to Le Mans for the KZ2 World Cup. The full programme is set out on the 2026 season page.
In 2027, the move to a single-seater changes the scale of each of these lines: heavier equipment, higher technical requirements, a national calendar. Hence the gap between €105,000 and €300,000.
Why joining in 2026 costs less than joining in 2027
The logic is simple, and it is arithmetic. In 2026, a partner takes a place in a €105,000 budget. In 2027, the same place is negotiated within a €300,000 budget, with increased competition since Formula 4 naturally attracts more brands competing for visibility than a karting season does.
Joining now therefore means buying a position at a price level that will no longer exist the following year. And that position does not stop at the end of the season:
- Continuity is contractual and built into the logic of the project: your logo runs from 2026 and follows Jaden onto the single-seater in 2027.
- Being there first is a story you can tell: "partner since the karting days" does not carry the same value as an opportunistic arrival at the moment the driver moves into a single-seater.
- 2026 visibility is already real: runner-up in the 2025 Challenge Normand, selected for the FFSA French Junior Championship in his first full season, 20th French driver in the 2025 French Championship (CDF), and pole position at the Pierre Gasly Trophy in Anneville-Ambourville in 51"680, after only two and a half years of karting.
The current partners, AUTOROOM and CAKEPRO, joined at this stage of the project. The terms and the full set of benefits are gathered in the partner pack.
The tiers: invoiced sponsorship or patronage
Two routes exist, and they do not fall under the same regime. Sponsorship is a commercial service: invoice, recoverable VAT, a deductible expense against taxable profit, unlimited benefits. Patronage is a donation with no equivalent benefit in return: tax receipt, tax reduction, symbolic benefits only. Both regimes are French and apply to companies taxed in France. If this choice has not been settled in your organisation, our sponsorship versus patronage comparison sets out the criteria.
Route 1, Sponsorship: the five packs
| Pack | Amount | Main benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Partner | From €30,000 | Title partner status, project naming rights, dominant livery + race suit + helmet, all media: private track day (15 people), hospitality over 3 race weekends, exclusive co-branded video, a direct point of contact and quarterly exposure reporting, presence on the F4 single-seater in 2027. |
| Major Partner | €15,000 to €30,000 | Logo on the livery and the race suit, official media, track day (8 people), hospitality over 2 weekends, dedicated content, season announcement, season reporting. |
| Associate Partner | €6,000 to €15,000 | Placement on the livery or the race suit, supervised track session, 1 race weekend, regular mentions, season review. |
| Support Partner | €2,000 to €6,000 | Dedicated placement on the livery, two-seater passenger ride (2 people), mention in the partner list, end-of-season review. |
| Visibility Partner | €0, visibility exchange | Your brand on the livery and the race suit, coverage on social media; in exchange, you relay the project to your own audience. |
The last tier deserves a word: it costs nothing and works through audience reciprocity. Its mechanism is detailed in our article on the visibility partner.
Route 2, Patronage: four tiers, real cost after the reduction
| Tier | Donation amount | Real cost after the 60 % reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Supporter | €500 | €200 |
| Friend of the project | €1,500 | €600 |
| Patron | €5,000 | €2,000 |
| Major Patron | €15,000 | €6,000 |
Route 3, Technical partner, contributions in kind
Tyres, equipment, transport, accommodation, printing, physical preparation, accounting. A contribution in kind does not add money to the budget, it takes cost out of it. The visibility granted matches the value of the contribution. For a company whose business overlaps with one of these lines, it is the most rational way in.
The real cost for your company, after tax
The argument to keep in mind is this: it is not additional spending, it is a budget you already have, better spent. Three levers, in this order.
1. The budget that already exists
The track day replaces the seminar or the team-building day: your staff drive, Jaden coaches, with a classification and a prize ceremony. In a client hospitality format, it becomes a paddock immersion. Included are exclusive use of the track, the karts, on-site supervision and a branded photo and video sequence handed over to the partner. You are buying what you would have bought anyway. The full calculation is set out in our article on the works council (CSE) budget turned into a track day.
2. The tax break
Under patronage, article 238 bis of the French General Tax Code (CGI) grants companies taxed in France a tax reduction equal to 60 % of the donation amount, not 60 % of your tax bill, 60 % of the sum paid. The cap is set at €20,000 or 5 per thousand of pre-tax revenue, whichever of the two amounts is higher, with carry-forward possible over five financial years. In practice, a €1,000 donation really costs the company €400, backed by a Cerfa tax receipt. The mechanism is detailed in our guide to corporate patronage in motorsport.
Be careful not to confuse the two regimes: for a private individual, article 200 of the CGI provides for a reduction of 66 % of the donation, capped at 20 % of taxable income, that is a real cost of €340 for €1,000 paid. The two rates do not mix.
Under sponsorship, the logic is different and just as favourable: no 60 % reduction, but a deductible expense against taxable profit and recoverable VAT, against an invoice, with no limit on the commercial benefits.
3. The CSR action that tells a story
Supporting a young French athlete in his rise to Formula 4 is a concrete, dated and verifiable commitment. It can be showcased to your teams, your clients and your stakeholders far more easily than a budget line of scattered donations. The detailed arguments are gathered on the dedicated page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the budget for a Formula 4 season in 2027?
€300,000 for the 2027 season in Formula 4, within the FFSA Academy. By way of comparison, the 2026 season in KZ, that is 20 races in gearbox karting, represents a budget of €105,000.
Do you have to fund the whole budget to become a partner?
No. The budget is shared between several partners. Entry starts at €0 through a visibility exchange, €2,000 for the Support Partner sponsorship pack, or €500 under patronage. Each tier has its own benefits.
What does a €5,000 donation really cost my company?
€2,000. The corporate patronage tax reduction is equal to 60 % of the donation amount (article 238 bis of the CGI), capped at €20,000 or 5 per thousand of pre-tax revenue, whichever is higher, with carry-forward possible over five years.
Will my logo stay visible when Jaden moves into a single-seater?
Yes, that is the continuity promise of the project: your logo runs from 2026 and follows Jaden onto the single-seater in 2027. The Principal Partner pack explicitly includes presence on the F4 single-seater in 2027.
What document does my company receive?
A contract, an invoice or a tax receipt depending on the option chosen, issued by the JB Racing association. Sponsorship gives rise to an invoice with recoverable VAT; patronage to a Cerfa tax receipt.
Can you become a partner without paying money?
Yes, in two ways. The Visibility Partner pack rests on an audience exchange, with no budget. The technical partnership consists of a contribution in kind, tyres, equipment, transport, accommodation, printing, physical preparation, accounting, with visibility matching the value of the contribution.
Reviewing the proposal
The calendar works against a wait-and-see approach: the 2026 season is under way, the KZ2 World Cup takes place at Le Mans Karting International from 17 to 20 September 2026, and the move to Formula 4 is scheduled for 2027. Every month that passes shortens a partner's exposure period for the same amount invested.
See the partner pack for the detail of the tiers and benefits, or contact us to build a package suited to your existing budget. We answer by phone on +33 7 80 91 12 20 or by email at contact@jadenbeye.fr. You can also view our current partners and the driver's record.
Press & media: interviews, high-definition visuals, accreditations and press pack on request: contact@jadenbeye.fr · +33 7 80 91 12 20.