Big Spring Company — Confidential Strategy
Leo Fornaroli
PR & Brand Strategy Outline
Positioning Concept
"The Coldest Driver in the Room."
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Big Spring Company — Confidential Strategy
PR & Brand Strategy Outline
"The Coldest Driver in the Room."
01 — The Core Insight
In a sport increasingly defined by performative personality — social media, fashion weeks, Netflix storylines — Leo can be a genuine counterpoint. He is not pretending to be focused. He actually is. That's rare, and audiences respond powerfully to the real thing.
1
Top 2% immunity to pressure among elite athletes. Not a talking point — a credential. Positions Leo alongside figures like Alain Prost, "The Professor."
2
Sleep, work, sim, repeat. His lifestyle is his method. A growing global audience is fascinated by elite performance habits — Leo is living it.
3
Italian champion. F2 rookie winner. McLaren-connected. These combined credentials are commercially compelling to F1 teams and sponsors alike.
02 — Brand Pillars
I
His psychological profile defines everything. Top 2% pressure immunity is a measurable, credible differentiator that sets him apart in any sport — not just racing.
II
His lifestyle is his process. The discipline, the sim hours, the recovery focus. Showing the work — not performing a personality — is exactly what modern audiences want.
III
F2 Champion, rookie year. The list of drivers who've achieved this is short and elite. Every great comparison story starts here — and Leo's is still being written.
IV
Piacenza roots. Italian passion. McLaren future. A story that resonates from Monza to Milan — and beyond into a global high-performance audience.
03 — Narrative Strategy & Traditional PR
What does it actually mean to be immune to pressure — and what can the rest of us learn? Frame around the psychology testing findings. Long-read profile or podcast. Transfers powerfully outside motorsport.
Alain Prost wasn't the fastest — he was the most intelligent and consistent. An evidence-based editorial for Autosport, Motorsport.com, The Race. "The Next Alain Prost." Early, but a powerful angle to develop.
Italian, McLaren-aligned, won one of the most competitive feeder series at the first attempt. UK sports desks, European press, Gazzetta dello Sport, La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera — this story deserves broader airing.
Target a small number of well-chosen appearances. High Performance (UK) perfectly aligns with his story. Long-form audio lets his quieter, genuine personality land. He doesn't need to be entertaining — just real.
Leo should not be over-exposed. Scarcity is part of the brand. Every interview should feel like access, not availability — a careful balance between prestige and approachability.
05 — Outside the Box
A short documentary series (3–5 episodes, 10–15 min each) built around pressure immunity. Not a racing documentary — a performance documentary that happens to feature a racing driver. Interview the sports psychologist, a neuroscientist, a chess grandmaster, a special forces operator. Leo sits at the centre, but the series has genuine crossover appeal beyond motorsport. Pitch to a streaming platform or release independently. McLaren partnership possible — provided Lando and Oscar don't overshadow the narrative.
F1 teams evaluating drivers are not immune to public profile. A targeted campaign raising Leo's profile in UK motorsport and business press — Autosport Business, Motorsport Week commercial coverage. Message: emerging, McLaren-aligned, commercially interesting.
Italy has a deep motorsport culture and Leo is an Italian champion. A targeted Italian press push timed around Monza — his Piacenza roots, the underdog story, the McLaren connection. Develop a trusted Italian journalist relationship for the long term.
His psychological profile data is genuinely unusual. With permissions, a piece written by a sports psychologist or performance expert — not a journalist — in Men's Health or equivalent extends his reach into audiences F1 has been actively courting.
06 — Timing Framework
Phase 01 — Foundation
Phase 02 — Build
Phase 03 — Peak
07 — Key Principles
The strategy is built around who he already is, not a persona constructed on top of it. His uniqueness is the asset — not something to be managed or softened.
Overexposure would damage the brand being built. Scarcity, quality of placement, and selective access define the approach. Selected interviews over press junkets.
Fan growth, brand building and media relevance all ultimately serve one goal: ensuring Leo is the name on every F1 team's shortlist when a seat opens.
One exceptional profile piece in a mainstream outlet is worth more than twenty motorsport trade articles. The goal is meaningful real estate, not volume.
04 — Social Media Strategy
Show the work.
Not the performance.
Instagram
Primary platform. Visual, global, strong F1 community. Key for UK, European and Italian audiences.
PrimaryX / Twitter
Motorsport community engagement. Text-based Q&As and insights — far more natural for Leo's communication style than video.
SecondaryTikTok
Not recommended. The high-energy, performative format conflicts with Leo's calm, low-key persona and brand positioning.
Not RecommendedContent to Pursue
Content to Avoid
The goal is a quality community — fans who feel genuinely connected to who Leo actually is. These are fans who travel to races, advocate in comment sections, and matter to F1 teams' audience calculations. Built through consistency and authenticity, not virality.