Contracts Signed As F1 Teams Leave It Late

As the checkered flag is rolled out ahead of the start of the new 2012 Formula One season, teams including Lotus, Caterham and Marussia F1 are still confirming major partnerships before the red lights go out in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday morning. 

Lotus has agreed a three-year deal with Microsoft which begins with immediate effect. 

Branding from the software giant’s Dynamics arm will feature prominently on both the Lotus F1 Team E20s and the drivers’ overalls. 

Patrick Louis, CEO of Lotus F1, said: ‘Lotus F1 Team is extremely proud to have attracted Microsoft Dynamics as a business and sponsorship partner. We are entering an exciting phase in the development of our business model as we move from our recent change management period to a ‘global business transformation’ process.’

Meanwhile, Caterham has signed a multi-year agreement with Visa as the team’s hospitality and experiential marketing partner. 

The partnership will see the two brands collaborate on a series of innovative hospitality and marketing programmes that will take Visa cardholders into the heart of the team. Visa joins an illustrious list of Caterham partners including GE, Dell, Intel, Renault and AirAsia.

Tony Fernandes, team principal of Caterham F1, said: ‘This is another major milestone for our team as it aligns us with one of the world’s most famous, trusted brands and gives us an opportunity to create some exciting new projects for our fans and Visa’s customers.’ 

‘The growth of our commercial partnership portfolio reflects our development as a team on track and it is a sign of our increasing strength that we have been able to attract a brand as prestigious as Visa.’

Finally, Marussia F1 has secured new partnerships with VPS.NET, a division of the UK2Group, and 100TB, as well as extending its existing deal with CNBC, the global broadcaster of business and financial news and information, as the team’s Official Business Media Partner.

Many teams outside the top four on the grid have announced deals late, with less than two weeks to go until the start of the new Formula One season Sahara Force India and HRT also announced new partnerships.