Formula 1 footage doesn’t need help feeling fast. That was the challenge New York-based agency Sibling Rivalry ran into while building a spot for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)’s partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Drop drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli into a cockpit, and the speed takes care of itself.
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What the spot needed from its music was something harder. It needed tension that could climb for a full minute without cashing itself out early, holding the line right up to the closer: “We leave the driving to Kimi and George.”
Sibling Rivalry found the answer on Musicbed: “Adélie,” by kïngpinguïn. The arrangement stays sparse and controlled instead of loud, giving an editor room to breathe in a shot without losing momentum, and then room to speed up as the spot closes in on its point.
That’s exactly the kind of control a spot like this needs because it’s doing two jobs at once. It has to sell the thrill of F1 and sell the reliability of a network most viewers will never even see.
That’s the whole trick. HPE isn’t the one behind the wheel. It’s the infrastructure making sure nothing breaks while someone else pushes 200 miles an hour. Score that moment with a track that peaks too soon, and all the energy goes to the racing footage, leaving the network story behind. “Adélie” keeps something in reserve, so there’s still tension left when HPE’s message needs it.
For a spot built around speed, precision, and invisible infrastructure, Sibling Rivalry needed music with tension and control. “Adélie” brought both. It gave the campaign a sound that could move with the racing without losing sight of the story underneath it.
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