We are all united here in this section because we love Formula One racing. It's in us to see some of the most technologically sophisticated cars race it out for glory. It's the thrill that something can happen, and we all tune in on TV to see it out.
However, in the most recent issue of F1 Racing Magazine, current Red Bull driver David Coulthard talked about his McLaren days and how he rarely spoke for fear of offending one sponsor. When he made the move to Red Bull, he was encouraged to be himself, but not speak ill of the drink, which he found much easier.
So now, I sit here and wonder, are there too many sponsors for a team? If you look at McLaren-Mercedes right now, they have Vodafone as the main sponsor with Diageo under the Johnnie Walker logo, aigo, Hugo Boss, Santander banks, Hilton Hotels, Schuco, Tag Heuer, Steinmetz, Mobil 1 and SAP as corporate and technological sponsors. There are more minor sponsors in this team as well, and they all get recognition on McLaren's website when you look under their partners.
Obviously, with rising costs of pretty much everything these days, having sponsors is excellent because it brings in much needed revenue in order to pay for the expensive task of traversing the globe. However, having too many to the point that if you as a driver said something that would offend one of your sponsors, then that's just pushing it.
This is what you see with McLaren; it has turned into more of a corporation than a racing team. Although, McLaren has loosened up a little bit with Lewis Hamilton entering the scene, but the team is still corporate.
Obviously, this problem just isn't isolated to McLaren. You can see that with other teams, save for Red Bull and Toro Rosso who have one big sponsor, and that is their namesake (Red Bull also has Metro, but it's so small that it's hardly noticeable).
I am not asking for no sponsors in Formula One and I am not anti-corporate, but I ask that drivers and teams have more freedom to speak their minds as opposed to the corporate line. It puts a human face on the team, drivers, and it makes corporation x more appealing to the consumer based on the mentality that if this team has a carefree and fun time with this sponsor, then this product is good for me because I can have a good time and feel young at heart.
Think about it.
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5 months ago
Hey Sheiban
I also read the article too and it's a shame drivers like DC for example cannot speak their minds for fear of offending sponsors.
However the beauty for a team like mclaren is that sponsors are litterally queueing up their alley to get their name printed all over the car livery and the money involved is just amazing; however because F1 is a world phenomenon any company that has logoes and sponsorship deals get so much brand exposure; where do we go from there my friend??? No time soon will this dynamic end..
from 5 months ago
I totally agree with you Alex.
I have nothing against corporate sponsorship since it's one of those things that teams need to survive in this very expensive sport. I just wish for the days when the team was a carefree thing, and that sponsorship was a sideline thing as opposed to being full-frontal to the point that driver must or must not say something, that's the problem. Even if they just appeared, but did not dictate to the driver that they must say x as opposed to y, then it would be so much better.
Being yourself attracts new fans, in just the same way that it attracts possible mates!
5 months ago
Hey Sheiban
Drivers should only be limited by a set code of conduct, i.e. being a role models to fans and others the corporate side of things also hampers on the driver in one more way and that's promotional events; drivers spend a lot of time going to events promoting x,y,z products I mean take TAG Heuer watches for instance, if I was a driver the last thing that'd be on my mind after winning a grand prix or finishin on the podium is wearing a TAG Heuer watch for the press conference and the world to see;
Ok you get paid for it but the end of the day F1 is a sport and like you said it should be respected in this capacity and not as just some other marketing promotional vector! good stuff bro
5 months ago
To me it initially seemed a shame that Formula 1 is very much turning into a business orientated empire however with the rising cost in bulding a race winning formula it is almost certainly a neccessity. Because of this I have grown to accept the role sponsors play in the manufacture of the car and to be honest, from the visual aspect at least, the cars look better than ever. (in my eyes Mclaren MP4- 23 is a beauty!)
I too however am not happy on the limitations a sponsorship deal can have on what a driver can and can not say. This however comes as a side effect to big sponsorship deals and there is little that can be done to stop this. On the other hand it has not stopped drivers like Senna from speaking their without upsetting the sponsors, instead he actually had a very close bond with Honda in the late 80's and early 90's.
To put things on a more positive note, at least Formula 1 teams arnt as sponsor dominated as NASCAR!
4 months ago
"....at least Formula 1 teams arnt as sponsor dominated as NASCAR!"
Thank God!!
"I'd like to thank the team for all their hard work in the different shops.... (F1)
"I'd first like to thank *sponsor*, *sponsor*, *sponsor*, *sponsor*, and of course my team....(NASCAR)
If the sponsors in NASCAR could put a tatoo on a driver's head, on underwear and even at their house, they would. Drivers are drivers, racing is suppposed to be racing, and everything else is not even supposed to exist, and if it affects the driver or anything to do with the race portion of the team more than 0.01%, your loseing The Sport.
4 months ago
Its a good point, but its part of the sport and thats all that could be said about that. I guess this would make you guys and gals a fan of the Honda livery.
from 4 months ago
It's a nice livery, but it should be noted that sponsors are fine, just not the part where they have to always give a corporate line. That's the part that bugs me. Make the drivers' public image that of wholesome and good people, not a product...
4 months ago
You are absolutely right Shelban! Drivers really have to toe the official line. But I with my limited knowledge of F1 business never heard of a sponsor quitting a team cause they did not like what the driver spoke. It makes good business sense to stick with a player who either garners positive or negative publicity. A sponsor I guess would leave a team sponsorship only if it does not pay to stick with that team, clearly it is a thing about visibility and performance. Poor performance would certainly be a detriment. I feel that it is the drivers and teams that drive themselves into a hole rather than most (I add here, some sponsors might insist for a particular behavior for a clean image) sponsors.
from 4 months ago
It's not so much that they'll quit the team, Saraswathi, but they'll be offended, and they might put less money into the team, but demanding the same coverage they got. Business is business, but they take it a step too far by making the drivers into a product.
Also, poor performance is not necessarily a detriment to a team. It's all about exposure in this sport. Just look at ING sponsoring Renault. Renault did terrible in their first year sponsorship with ING, but the bank stuck by them because there was a bigger exposure just by having their logo on a race car.
Finally, if sponsors were to request a clean image of the drivers, that would be fine, but as long as they don't make the drivers say the corporate line. In this world of troubled sports and movie stars, a clean and wholesome public image goes a long way!
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