A KitKat heist that could well be a masterclass in marketing
Shift Happens #19 | Weekly pivots where motorsport collides with tech and culture.
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I’m Toni Cowan-Brown, a tech and F1 commentator. I’m a former tech executive who has spent the past six years on the floor of way too many F1, FE, and WEC team garages, learning about the business, politics, culture and technology of motorsports.
⏳ Reading time: 8minutes
A few updates on my end. I’ve been playing catch-up today and just barely recovering from being absolutely knocked out by the flu - that was fun. This week will be a mad rush before I head to Europe for three incredible, but very different events - the Monte Carlo Masters, GT3 Revival and the WEC season opener in Imola. I’ve made a conscious effort to make time to see one of my oldest friends and family during this trip because I’m learning to work hard and enjoy life. Something I’m notoriously bad at combining.
I’ve added a new section to the newsletter - Bon goût, for those with an acquired taste. I read a lot, watch a lot, and notice more than most because it’s what my brain does. Bon goût is where I share the one thing that’s genuinely caught my attention and that I’m loving this week - a book, a collab, a quote, a career move - exactly why it deserves your attention. No fluff. Just the things worth your time.
The [lead] lap
Speaking of taste and taste buds. This may be one of the strangest F1 stories I’ve ever talked about. KitKat confirmed that a truck transporting 413,793 units of its new F1 chocolate range was stolen during transit in Europe. The vehicle departed central Italy bound for Poland - a route of roughly 1,250–1,350km - and simply vanished. The truck and its contents remain unaccounted for, and an investigation is ongoing with local authorities, apparently.
Here’s where it gets weird (because no, that first part wasn’t the strangest bit), the stolen product is part of KitKat’s F1 partnership range: the first-ever chocolate moulded F1 car, featuring a milk chocolate shell with crispy cereal and wafer pieces, as well as the F1 KitKat Chunky launched in January 2026.
Nestlé’s response was notably playful - they told the New York Times they appreciate “the criminals’ exceptional taste,” but also used the moment to flag that cargo theft is an “escalating issue”. What if this was a PR stunt?
Here’s my case for this being a masterclass marketing play. This drops right at the 2026 season opener. KitKat is in only its second year as F1's official chocolate partner. The special edition F1 car bar is the hero product they need eyes on. And suddenly, every sports outlet, food publication, and meme account on the planet is saying the words "KitKat" and "F1" in the same breath. Organically. For free.
Nestlé’s statement reads less like a crisis comms team writing under pressure, and more like a brand team with a strategy in play and some great hooks. Part of the statement reads as follows: "We've always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat, but it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.”
I don’t know about you, but in what can only be described as a very noisy space right now, getting your press release picked up as an F1 sponsor or an F1 team sponsor seems to be getting increasingly difficult. This is definitely one way to create awareness, hype and get the internet talking about your product launch.
The [number] of the week
50G is the impact of Haas driver, Ollie Beraman’s collision into the barriers during the Japanese GP last weekend. You can read the full breakdown on F1’s website here.
The incident occurred when Bearman had to take avoiding action after closing on Colapinto at speed, with the Argentine driver moving towards the middle of the track and narrowing the space. The stewards noted the incident before deeming no further action was necessary, but Bearman gave his take on how it had all played out.
“It was a massive overspeed, 50kph which is a part of these news regulations that I guess we have to get used to,” he said. “But also I felt like I wasn’t really given much space given the huge excess speed that I was carrying.
Three [stories] that need to be on your radar
The $5 Million Blind Spot: Why 76% of Your Fans Are Strangers. This is a phenomenal breakdown by Dean at Regen Sports about how sports entities should be thinking about their fans but aren’t. One piece really stood out to me: “broadcast viewers are the hardest channel to convert anonymous fans into known fans, cited by 67% of respondents. Social media followers are second at 33%. The fans consuming the most content are often the ones you know least about. Broadcasters give you scale, but they don’t give you relationships.” Read the full piece here.
DS Penske is out of Formula E to focus on SailGP. DS Automobiles has confirmed it will depart the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the end of Season 12, citing an evolution of its “sporting and technology strategy.” DS established itself as one of Formula E’s most decorated manufacturers, amassing four championship titles, 18 victories, and 55 podiums across 142 races. The pivot is perhaps the more eyebrow-raising part. DS is partnering with SailGP Team France, where it says it will work on aerodynamic efficiency, drag reduction, lightweight composite materials, and software, framing competitive sailing as a new innovation laboratory. SailGP is definitely starting to feel like the new darling of tech giants. It marks the second manufacturer exit from Formula E in as many seasons, following NEOM McLaren’s departure last year, and this comes during some turbulent times at Formula E.
Adrian Newey stepped down at Team Principal at Aston Martin. Jonathan Weatley has stepped away from Audi after just two races. Is it to take the role of Team Principal at the Aston Martin F1 team? Here’s everything that we know about this episode of ‘Paddock revolving doors’. Adrian Newey is stepping down from the Team Principal role at Aston Martin to refocus exclusively on technical matters, as the team endures a deeply difficult start to the 2026 season, with Honda power unit issues preventing the Newey-designed AMR26 from completing full race distances. Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi with immediate effect, ahead of what is widely expected to be a move to Aston Martin but there are still no confirmations, only speculations. The approach is said to have been made by Newey himself in late 2025, with Wheatley identified as his primary target for the TP role - a position that would allow Newey to return to what he was originally hired to do. A lengthy gardening leave period is anticipated, meaning Newey could remain as acting Team Principal for the remainder of 2026.
One [video] worth your time
You’ll want to pivot your phone for this one. This video feels important and impactful for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a beautiful reminder that no, you absolutely do not need media/press credentials to shoot F1. On the contrary, in GA and as fans, you have a lot more freedom to shoot what you want. I previously wrote about this paradox in F1 that many accredited media experience. Secondly, I feel it’s time that big sports entities realise that attention, not IP, is the scarcest resource and the most valuable. This creator actually did a phenomenal job questioning whether or not IP is dead and goes on to shine a light on the power of highlights and how brands and sports entities should lean into them rather than sending Cease & Desist letters.
One [event] that caught my eye
One event that should absolutely be on your radar, and I wish I were in town for this one, but unfortunately (and I use that word loosely), I’ll be gearing up for a back-to-back Monaco GP and the 24h of Le Mans trip. And that event is a live conversation between the CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown and motorsport broadcaster and New York Times bestselling author, Will Buxton. For motorsport fans, business minds, and anyone curious about the mindset behind elite performance and the business of motorsports, this is a rare chance for an honest and unfiltered discussion with one of racing’s most influential figures of the past few decades.
When: Thursday, May 21, 2026, 7:00pm (during the Indianapolis 500 race week)
Where: Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Price: Tickets start at $55 (not an affiliate link)
[Bon goût] - for those with an acquired taste.
The GT3 Revival Series. Something is happening in motorsport right now that feels less like a new series launch and more like a correction. And with all the noise surrounding the current F1 season and disagreements over the new regulations, it feels like the right time for a revival series. A quiet, knowing, and very deliberate correction.
The GT3 Revival Series - a joint venture between SRO and Peter Auto, the same partnership that helped build the foundations of GT racing back in 1993 - is bringing back the cars that defined an era. We’re talking GT3 machinery from the first eight years of the category, 2006 to 2013, at circuits like Spa and Le Mans. Cars that raced before the algorithms, before the content calendars, before every race became content.
I think it’s worth our attention not just because it’s a beautiful idea, but because it tells you something about where the appetite in motorsport is actually going. The nostalgia economy is real, and GT racing is smart enough to lean into it with intention rather than desperation. These aren’t replicas. These are the real cars, the real drivers, the real Balance of Performance - just running on their own terms again. For those of us who fell in love with the sound and spectacle of GT racing in the early 2000s, this is a homecoming. For everyone else, this is your crash course in why that era mattered. I’ve been kindly asked to attend the first race of the season, so in exactly 10 days, you’ll find me trackside at Paul Ricard.
