Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

[Super Tourer]

Vodafone will become the McLaren team's title sponsor after agreeing a long-term sponsorship deal, the company announced on Wednesday.

The deal will begin in 2007 and will last into the next decade.

The team will be known as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and the Vodafone branding will be highly visible on the cars, drivers' and pit crews' overalls and other ancillary elements.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/48662

It has been widely predicted that Vodafone would end it's sponsorship of Ferrari, as Philip Morris seeks to clear the car of other brands so that it can develop it's concept of the Marlboro colour only being sufficient to identify the brand. I believe they are also looking at a reverse sponsorship deal with Ferrari F1 branding apprearing on Marlboro packets - cementing the link from the other direction.

Honda were thought to be front runners for the Vodafone deal, but obviously McLaren were chosen instead. Mercedes of course have a long standing relationship with Vodafone as a DTM sponsor.

[Dan Fielden]

Excellent news, Talk about one-up-manship within the teams. Good news im happy with that one

[Raglanparade]

So ferrari are going to get paid my phillip morris to run a sponsorless red car ??

[Jordi]

Great for McLaren though not totally unexpected... McLaren is a top team and it was going to have a top sponsor. Shame it begins in 2007, I can't wait to see the paintjob.

[BootsOntheSide]

I expect they'll head back towards red and white, which would be nice for sentimentalists. It's good to see a big non-tobacco company spending so much on Formula 1 sponsorship, and quite nice that a British team has a big British sponsor.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

I expect they'll head back towards red and white, which would be nice for sentimentalists. It's good to see a big non-tobacco company spending so much on Formula 1 sponsorship, and quite nice that a British team has a big British sponsor.

That would be great, although I really like the silver livery.

[The STIG]

I expect that the vodaphone livery would be similar to the one used in DTM, with Silver remaining the base colour of the car

[Draven]

Whatever happend to the Johnnie Walker (no idea how to spell that correctly) sponsorship that was talked about?

[The STIG]

It was on the cars for the last half of this year's season, I'll assume that it continues?

[Draven]

I thought they were going to go for total car sponsorship in 2006, well I'm happier that vodafone are investing big in Mclaren, nice to see commitment form a sponsor to the sport.

[Gt_R]

For Ferrari to sacrifice vodaphone and other sponsorships for P.M, and that vodaphone is willing to pump an approximately equvalent offer to Mclaren, Ferrari must be confident that the money coming in from PM is greater than the sum of alternatives combined.

Good news for Mclaren. Johnny Walker deal hardly looks to be enough, and the vodaphone deal would help secure its finances further. Considering Vodaphone's relations with Mercedes from DTM, this news isn't surprising perhaps, but PLEASE... don't convert that Mclaren to a red/white livery. We have Toyota and Honda following in varying degrees the colours of Ferrari and the last thing we need is 8 cars red and white.

Their DTM arrangement is good enough

[Swiss]

As far as I am aware Johnnie Walker are still sponsoring McLaren, they were never going to be the principal sponsor though.

Could be an interesting livery, I hope the black and silver theme remains as I think it looks rather cool and although the red and white would be harking back to earlier days I personally feel its good to make changes and secondly the red and white McLarens of those days are so heavily tied to the Malboro spnsorship that Vodafone would probably prefer to distance themselves and create their own visual impact

[shambles]

As has been said, I think the livery will be red and silver - which should be nice, I think the black and silver, despite being a very pleasing livery will have been around for ten seasons by then - and is getting a little wearing, a change whilst keeping the fundamental silver colour would be refreshing. Vodafone will be able to influence thier branding on the car's more predominantly than with Ferrari - and expect to see rounder swirls on the 2007 -> McLarens, to coincide with the companies logo.

PAUL

[josvandeperre]

If you mix Vodafone red & Mercedes silver - you get

The future's bright - the future's (McLaren) Orange !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chillibowl]

a long term deal extending into the next decade...i hope this means that Vodafone believes that the McLaren team plan on being in F1 for at least that long.
potentially good news for the series

[Swiss]

"a long term deal extending into the next decade...i hope this means that Vodafone believes that the McLaren team plan on being in F1 for at least that long. potentially good news for the series"

maybe but more than likely its that they know McLaren will be competing in the top echelon or whatever given championship there may be in the future

[chillibowl]

true, mclaren will be competing at the top level of whatever series they are in, but that doesn't necessarily mean vodafone wants to come along for the ride. if there is a spilt surley vodafone's advertising strat. will be comprimised or tarnished from the difficulites that split will cause.
for me a long term deal implies stability and hopefully that means no split.

[Swiss]

Good point, I think that Vodafone will have aligned themselves to McLaren as a synergy between the companies etc, whether its solely in F1 I guess time will tell, one thingyou can count on is that McLaren will always be professional so that may help mitigate any potential split in the series. Lets just hope that whatever happens its for the good of the sport ....

[Gt_R]

I think Vodafone agreed to the deal only after Ron give notice that Mclaren is intending to stay in F1 and not split. Vodafone throws in cash in exchange for exposure. There's simply no garanteed "exposure" from a split series that would convince any company to throw in cash for the long run.

So subtle, and another sign, imo, that Mclaren and the remaining manufacturers are just bluffing out for more cash from Bernie, and won't risk taking off.

[joe rossi]

Originally Posted by Super Tourer

I believe they are also looking at a reverse sponsorship deal with Ferrari F1 branding apprearing on Marlboro packets - cementing the link from the other direction.

That a bit dodgy isn't it? Ferrari branded cigarettes?

They must be more desperate for cash than I thought

[jonboyG]

Heh, you have to love Ferrari's response to all this. Ross Brawn now thinks that more needs to be done to cut F1 costs! Of course, cost limitations were dismissed out of hand when Ferrari had more money than everyone else in the paddock, but now the little red darlings are feeling the pinch? Boo****inghoo.

[andy_b]

don't forget. Marlboro already have the rights to the livery of the whole Ferrari car. Contracturally, they pay Ferrari. Sponsors such as Shell and Vodafone then pay Marlboro, although Ferrari do have a big say in who goes on the car

So, for Ferrari, its probaly no loss. For Marlboro,,,well they implied a while back, that they would like a fairly blank car, to maximise the Marlboro exposure so their wish seems to be happening

[ASCII Man]

I see this as a good thing.
Less sponsor, more car please.

[Sodemo]

So this deal is from 2007 onwards, and not next season (2006)?

So Ferrari are going to run a totally blank car in 2007?

What about 2006 for McLaren, do they have a title sponsor?

[Remus]

I love the idea of a blank-ish Ferrari (although not in its present colour hue of course), but like Joe Rossi have initial reservations of their logos turning up on fag packets. I could always cope with it being the other way round; my bedroom was always covered in all kinds of cig advertising as I grew up, but I never ever contemplated smoking one until I was much older and less wise. The idea of the sport's most famous image being placed on an increasingly unfashionable market (in the West at least) seems somehow very different. Don't quite know why, but to me it does.