If 2022 did not already feel like a new era in F1, spare a thought for us sponsorship watchers. I’m talking about the tidal wave of blockchain, cryptocurrency and non-fungible token (NFT) deals that have been announced in recent months. Blockchain, the underlying technology behind the rise of cryptocurrencies, takes a little explaining. So strap yourselves in. It’s a decentralised ledger – a collection of financial transactions – held across a peer-to-peer computer network. The key word here is ‘decentralised’ meaning that there is essentially no need for a central clearing authority, such as a bank. It also requires a cyber-secu …