'We've talked to literally hundreds of brands' - Ineos Grenadiers CEO gives update on sponsor hunt

Ineos Grenadiers have held discussions with “literally hundreds of brands”, the team’s CEO has said, as the WorldTour squad continues its search for new partners.

Last month, the team employed global sports marketing agency Sportfive to help its search for new sponsors. The appointment came after the squad's CEO, John Allert, revealed Ineos “don’t want to spend more money”, and the team was looking to “bring other people” on its “journey” to return to super-team status.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly at the opening of SunGod’s new store in London last week, Allert said the sponsor hunt has been “really encouraging” so far.

“Obviously, the work that we’re doing in that area is confidential, but it’s very positive,” he said. “People are seeing that we’re a team on a journey, and a lot of brands have expressed interest in being part of that journey.

“We’ve got to be quite selective and choosy about how many partnerships we end up with, but I think it positions us really well for the future.”

Last month, Escape Collective reported that French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies were in negotiations to become a co-title sponsor of Ineos Grenadiers from 2026.

Asked about a potential deal with TotalEnergies, Allert said: “I can’t talk specifics about any partners. We’ve talked to literally hundreds of brands with the help of Sportfive and some of those brands are new to cycling, some of them are familiar with cycling.

“As soon as we’re ready, we’ll share where we’re going in that regard, but it’s premature at the moment for me to comment on any rumours. I’ve heard all sorts of fabulous rumours, all sorts of fabulous brands. I wish they were all true.”

Ineos Grenadiers recorded their lowest season win tally ever in 2024, earning 14 victories. The team underwent a significant reshuffle at the start of this season, announcing six new members of performance staff, as well as a new head of engineering.

Already, Allert said, the performance team has “regalvanised their efforts”.

“We’ve worked really hard on a number of different areas in the team over the six to 12 months. We’ve worked hard with our partners on the bikes, on our processes, everything from helmets, eyewear, aero. The full package has been scrutinised,” he explained.

The team has now collected seven victories in 2025, including a stage win at Paris-Nice, where there were three Ineos Grenadiers riders in the top 10.

“Ultimately, the world-class riders that we have have taken all of that and worked harder than we could have even anticipated, and built the beginnings of some momentum,” Allert said.

“We’re only up to April, so it would be premature for us to start celebrating success just yet. But we’re quietly confident about where we’re going and that’s come down to hard work.”