Who gets Coca-Cola money?

[angst]

It seems that Coca-Cola are looking to get involved with a formula 1 team on a title sponsor basis - approx $50m. Who do you think will get the deal?

[Gerryl]

Rumors abound that Renault and Jordan are the front runners but Coca Cola Ferrari sounds interesting dont you think?

Ger

[Bononi]

As Coca-Cola gets involved rather with the big ones (Football, etc...) I think that should be with Ferrari, Mclaren, Williams or Renault.

[Minardi fan]

$50 million would be quite nice for Minardi...

[Liz]

It'd have to be a Red Car. Although I expect Minardi would be happy to paint its cars red for a little of that Coca Cola fizz!

I can't imagine a red Jordan, and I doubt BMW is going to ask for a change of colour right away - Renault has Benetton money and Mild Seven, and will stay Blue I think - so I'm guessing if it's a Major Player it will be either BAR (once tobacco is out of the picture) or Ferrari (ditto).

[Sparky]

Yeah, but let's face it Minardifan, so would 50 quid and a six-pack of Coke!

[Bononi]

I can figure an ad that TGF does a pit and he's given a can of coke, while the cronometer is running... then the quote:
"That's what the champions are fueled of..."
Arrrrgggghhhhhh.............

[Gerard]

It all depends on the amount of money Coca Cola is going to invest in a formula one team.
They could be satisfied with a banner on the car.
If they really want the car in full Coca Cola colours, a couple of teams are not eligible for the money.
Car manufacturers like Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar have their own livery. Benetton was one of the teams mentioned in connection with Coca Cola, but since Renault has taken over the cars will be yellow soon.
This leaves the 'privateer' teams like Jordan, Prost, Sauber, Arrows, Minardi and BAR.
I'm sure Coca Cola doesn't want to invest in a minor team, so unfortunately Arrows, Minardi, Prost and Sauber fall off.
This leaves us with BAR and Jordan. I'm still speculating here though.
My guess is that it could be BAR, being half an American racing team.

[Minardi fan]

Well, unless B & H desert Jordan sometime soon, I guess it would be BAR.

The only other two who don't have fixed liveries are Minardi and Prost, now they have lost the Gauloises sponsorship.

[Bononi]

But like Marlboro in Ferrari, there's nothing to change... just to put the logo in it !
Ferrari is coloured linked to Coke than anyone else...

[Liz]

If TGF keeps falling off the track in the first corner, he could say "Coca-Cola - for those who never taste Champagne".

Or this: "Coca-Cola: Because that's all I'm worth."


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Sharky]

Renault will get that money. That of course wasn't what renault had planned as they wanted a yellow team like the old days....or perhaps even a blue team...like a french national team....but when they get the chque for 50 million they'll be more than pleased to run red cars.

This could proove to be good news for minardi and gene because Telefonico may preffer to be the main sponsor at a "small" team than being the secondary sponsor of a "big" team.

As for ferrari....it will never happen. Marlboro and Shell pay a lot more money and they won't spare any space on the car....and I don't think that coca cola will pay tha ammount of money just to get the space that tic tac and FedEx get.

[f1ciamp]

for $50 milion u dont change the paint of the entire car in the big teams i guess thyl pain the side of renault with the coca cola emblom, 50 milion is not enof to kik out happy ferrari sponsors so i dont think it will go to ferrari ,untill tabaco will be totaly baned, then ferrari wil be the idiel for coke

[angst]

I must admit I had it down between Benetton/Renault and BAR. Ferrari is a no-no because of the current sponsorship deals. I'd put money on Benetton though.

[Cameron]

Main rumours I read tip Jordan & Benetton.

However, in the light of the current pressures on cigarette advertising it wouldn't surprise me to see the big 2 in there. It would be a lot more incentive for Coca Cola to enter if some of the risk was already removed, i.e. both Benetton & Jordan have still got to prove that they can move from Div 2 to Div. 1

As for current deals there are always ways round them!

[Bononi]

That is big money, but I think most important is the image that is associated to... with the smoke banning that can be very interesting for the top teams...

[Minardi fan]

The Coca Cola money will go to BAR, Minardi or Prost. Mark my words.

[Valve Bounce]

For that sort of money, Minardi-Renault would change the shape of the car to that of a coke bottle. Now beat that!!!!

[Jim Clark]

...a little far fetched but we had a Sunoco Lola....what could be better than a Coca Cola Lola ?!?! (Definitely beats the ill fated Beatrice Lola....) All right, al right, I give up.

[Ed-f1]

I don't know why they would want to sponser anyone at all. Apparently they want the 'brand recognition' that Formula 1 can provide. Brand recognition? Does anybody in the whole world not know what Coca-cola is? I guess that goes for all forms of advertising though. Still if they've got the money to spare I'm sure there are plenty of people who could use it.

[MichaelC]

If you've ever tried mixing Red Bull and Coke you'll know the result is actually quite nice, so perhaps a dual-branded Sauber car could be a reality.

I can't see it being Ferarri, McLaren or Williams. Prost don't currently have an engine or a lead sponsor, so perhaps there's scope for a badged engine deal there. The Prost - Coca-cola. Running in cherry red would be different to the Ligier blue they've stuck with. And then as well as confusing Jordan and Minardi, Murray Squawker could confuse Ferarri and Prost. "And it's Barichello in the Prost leading..."

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by Sparky

Yeah, but let's face it Minardifan, so would 50 quid and a six-pack of Coke!

Hey, what about Mallett Racing???

[downforce]

lol@PM!dont worry Mr Mallet, Pepsi's comin at u!
Liz!,
the champagnes for the No.1 driver....forgot??

I know where theyre gonna dump crates of coke!!

[Peter Mallett]

Well let's hope that whoever gets it doesn't get SNIFFY about it.

[RussianFriend]

I vote for BAR:
1. They will need new non-tabacco colors in couple of years.
2. This is american team.
3. Coka-cola's "Ask for more" slogan is most suitable for team applicated to win, but scored zero.