Lotus acquired a new name on their car for the United States Grand Prix while McLaren had a surprising new treatment for one of their sponsor’s logos.
However more questions are being raised over the appropriateness of alcohol advertising on racing cars, which could spell trouble for the “official whisky of Formula One”.
Lotus
Lotus acquired a new sponsor in Endless Jewelry. The logo appeared on the airbox and on top of the sidepods of the car in the United States (above).
The airbox, which had previously featured the driver’s names, then bore EMC branding in Brazil (right). In Abu Dhabi Hisense will return to the airbox, its third appearance on the car, having been on the sidepods in Austin.
There was also a ‘#Margerie’ tribute on Romain Grosjean’s car only, remembering Total CEO Christophe de Margerie, who had died in an airplane incident in October.
Grosjean, who also had tribute stickers on his helmet, said, “He was one of those men that you meet very rarely in a lifetime. I knew him for many years and he believed in me and helped me to achieve my motorsport dream. It was such a tragic accident and my thoughts are with his family, as well as the families of the other victims of the plane crash.”
McLaren
McLaren went from the regular SAP logo to a larger, brighter, angled and funky design, both on the sidepods and on top of the cockpit.
Sauber
Sauber have recently started to put their sidepod space to good use after keeping it empty for most of the year. This time they gave the extra exposure to Interproteccion (in the United States) and Cuervo Tequila (in Brazil).
With the team’s recent announcement of 2015 drivers not involving Esteban Gutierrez, companies Jose Cuervo, Interproteccion and the three owned by America Movil (Claro, Telmex and Telcel) could follow the Mexican out of Sauber at the end of the year.
Williams
In Interlagos, the team’s usual Experian logos were changed to Serasa Experian, promoting the Brazilian credit bureau.
Williams also paid tribute to John Burridge, a team member that had passed away, by putting his first name on the rear wings:
A long serving member of the team, John Burridge, sadly passed away recently. This is our tribute this weekend pic.twitter.com/UW7TlPpD3g
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) October 31, 2014
Force India
A potentially significant change for Force India at the Brazilian Grand Prix was the presence of Claro logos on their car’s sidepods in place of Sahara. These have previously been seen on the Saubers.
Claro is a telecommunications brand which is part of the America Movil company, which is run by Carlos Slim and based in Mexico City. The same group also includes Telmex, which backed Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez’s careers via the Escuderia Telmex.
However with Gutierrez having lost his seat at Sauber for next season, Perez is the only Mexican driver remaining in the field ahead of next year’s return to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which may explain Claro’s switch.
Kingfisher also had an increased presence, appearing on the outside of the headrests.
Threat to alcohol sponsorship in F1
The threat of a ban on alcohol advertising in Formula One has the potential to make matters worse amid the financial problems that are affecting many teams.
Four teams promote alcohol brands on their cars. Williams have a new title sponsor in Martini this year. Force India’s cars advertise brands from owner Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries, as well as Smirnoff, which the company is linked to through British beverage company Diageo. Sauber advertise Jose Cuervo’s tequila brand.
McLaren are sponsored by Johnnie Walker, which has also recently concluded a deal with Formula One Management. However at a time when greater focus is being put on the European Union’s restriction on advertising alcohol by associating it with driving, its endorsement as “the official whisky of Formula One” may become an obvious target for criticism.
2014 Brazilian Grand Prix
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- 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix team radio transcript
- Sponsor Watch: 2014 US and Brazilian Grands Prix
Image © Force India, Lotus/LAT, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Williams/LAT, Singapore GP/Sutton
mantresx (@mantresx)
13th November 2014, 16:14
Funny, the article talks about Sauber and Force India sponsors and I get a Telmex advert here on the page haha
By the way I love Mika’s belt buckle :)
SteveR
13th November 2014, 21:47
Speaking of Force India sponsors, why is the name ‘Kingfisher’ even on the car? VJ’s airline is bust, employees haven’t been paid for months, leasing companies have been trying to repossess aircraft only to find them stripped and unflyable, VJ has been declared a defaulter by Indian banks, his partner is in prison trying to raise more than a billion (yes, billion) dollars to repay ripped off investors …………. Kingfisher is a sponsor?!!!!!!!! Force India just want to fill the space, they’re not getting any money for the signage.
ColdFly F1 (@)
13th November 2014, 22:37
Kingfisher is (also) a beer brand.
different company – (partially) same owner.
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
14th November 2014, 2:32
The only reason Mallaya bought into F1 was to advertise his alcohol brands. Kingfisher is a big beer brand in India, and Royal Challenge is likewise in the whiskey department. Advertsing alcohol is banned in India.
So, if Alcohol advertising is on the verge of being banned..well..you do the math. Vijay will be pulling out his cash even before you could say Force India.
George (@george)
13th November 2014, 17:56
Would this only take effect for races in EU countries, or would it mean they couldn’t show them on TV at all?
@HoHum (@hohum)
13th November 2014, 23:01
I really think that there is a very good argument for distinguishing between racing on a track and driving on public roads as 2 totally different activities.
RACERNORRISKI (@racernorriski)
13th November 2014, 19:05
In the USofA we have commercials for beer, wine, and alcohol of all sorts, even more so with the traditional holidays looming on the horizon. (Thanksgiving day, Christmas and New Years) So one should conclude that booze sponsors should be OK on the cars, helmets, driving suits, and whatever else they can put them on….. Thanks, Norris
Zane Jakobs (@zjakobs)
13th November 2014, 19:39
Yeah, and it’s not like anyone’s associating the alcohol with driving. I don’t even associate it with drinking, just with cool liveries.
American F1
13th November 2014, 19:26
Well, I know that I for one have no will of my own and am compelled to drink whenever I see any alcohol advertisement, further, I am compelled to drink and drive when I see alcohol advertised on an F1 car. Thank you Nanny-State EU for saving me by banning such pernicious marketing.
MtlRacer (@mtlracer)
13th November 2014, 20:10
The Canal+ OnBoard for Brazil blurs the rear wing of the Force India, but they forgot to blur the Johnnie Walker on the bridge near the pit exit and start of the first DRS zone.
SauberS1 (@saubers1)
13th November 2014, 22:49
The idea which bans alcohol advertising is very bad. They should allow these sponsors, otherwise the teams will not enough money in the future.
tektonnic
13th November 2014, 23:00
The SAP logo change was because SAP redesigned their logo, and so McLaren seemingly obliged to make them principal sponsor in time with their brand launch, the blue one is dead…