SAN FRANCISCO, March 4, 2026, 16:07 PST
- Salesforce and Formula 1 have launched an AI “fan companion” on F1.com, designed to field questions about the sport’s incoming 2026 technical rules.
- The companies plan to launch the tool as a round-the-clock explainer, with intentions to roll it out further throughout Formula 1’s digital ecosystem later on.
- Salesforce shares dropped roughly 1.5% in late trading, with investors showing caution over how AI could affect the software sector.
Salesforce and Formula 1 have renewed their partnership, rolling out an AI-driven fan companion on F1.com designed to walk fans through the upcoming 2026 technical regulations. Formula 1’s chief commercial officer Emily Prazer described the tool as “a vital tool.” Over at Salesforce, marketing chief Patrick Stokes said the aim is to “turn AI into real impact.” Formula One
With the launch, Salesforce gets to spotlight Agentforce, its branded “AI agents” platform. These tools do more than spit out text suggestions — they answer questions and act for users directly. It’s a concrete example the company is using as it pushes to weave AI into daily business routines.
Salesforce slipped roughly $3, or 1.5%, to $193.08 late in the session. Investors have been wrestling with a bigger question: does AI deepen loyalty to business software, or just make it more swappable?
Software stocks have been under heavy selling pressure for months, and some fund managers argue that buybacks aren’t a magic bullet. Since Jan. 12, U.S.-listed software companies have signed off on $70.5 billion in buybacks, EPFR data shows—a figure that’s failed to lift the sector, with the S&P 500 software index sliding 28% since late October, per Reuters. “I don’t think the buybacks are enough,” said Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel. For Andrew Slimmon of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, the flurry of repurchases after the rout looks like “an attempt to stop the decline.” Reuters
Formula 1 says the new companion taps trusted sources, answering questions on the revamped rules 24/7—rules it’s calling the biggest technical shake-up in decades. The agent, the companies added, will monitor trending queries, giving Formula 1 a chance to adjust future fan content accordingly.
The announcement highlighted previous results, noting Agentforce is already taking care of everyday fan questions—think login or streaming hiccups—while Data 360 draws on data from over 100 sources to create unified fan profiles. Formula 1 and Salesforce first teamed up in 2022, according to the release. This latest agreement gives Salesforce a broader footprint across the F1 schedule, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix and F1 Academy support specifically called out.
Salesforce keeps pushing Agentforce as a way to drive growth, making its case that AI can boost—not just disrupt—its subscription business. Late February, CEO Marc Benioff, in a filing, put Agentforce’s annual recurring revenue at $800 million and reiterated the company’s target of $63 billion in revenue for FY30. That same document disclosed approval for a $50 billion buyback and bumped the quarterly dividend to $0.44 a share.
Analysts keep pushing Salesforce to prove that initial signs of interest actually convert to widespread, paying customers across big corporations. “Against the backdrop of concerns about AI eating software-as-a-service,” Rebecca Wettemann, CEO at Valoir, said Salesforce still has to “translate early AI traction into broader enterprise adoption” following its results. Reuters
Salesforce faces competition on the AI front. Microsoft and ServiceNow are also adding AI tools to their business software, as customers weigh what automation can actually do for them—and how much they’re willing to spend.
The fan companion might end up as just another handy feature, rather than a meaningful revenue driver—particularly if users see these agents as merely “nice to have” instead of essential. Plus, if AI tools blur the lines between competing vendors, software firms could get squeezed on pricing, all while pouring money into fresh offerings and, for some, stock buybacks.
Salesforce and Formula 1 aim to expand the agent, rolling it out further within Formula 1’s digital ecosystem. Investors want to see proof that AI agents aren’t just stuck in pilot mode—that they make it into daily routines and actually get used.
