BP looking at F1 return
- Published on 13 Oct 2016 11:36
-
- By: Dominik Wilde
British oil giant BP is looking to return to Formula One as a sponsor according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
Despite not being infolved in F1 for some time, the London-based company is said to be looking to return "with a large campaign".
"Rumours say Renault and McLaren are competing for the contract worth a supposed $30 million," said correspondent Michael Schmidt, despite the fact that both already have close ties to oil firms - Total and Exxon Mobil respectively.
1
Replies (3)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Dont think either of those are really an option. I'd say Williams is a more likely candidate, since they are British, and I think I recall reading that their partnership with Petrobras is supposed to end soon.
Kevin
Posts: 5,341
I agree. McLaren's partnership with Mobil1 goes a long way back, as does the Renault-Total partnership. I can't see any of these teams trading in their current fuel and oil suppliers for BP. This is of course, unless Mobil1 and Total are not satisfied with their team's performances of the past couple of years and are not sure about future prospects. But then again, it looks like McLaren-Honda is a team to consider for podiums and possibly victories again in the near future. For Renault it will likely take some time to build a team again, but with their factory budget they should be able to move up the ranks next year as well.
Williams is indeed a more likely candidate.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Well, BP is probably just looking for a team to give some money in exchange for a place on the car to put a logo on, so the actual partnerships would probably not be in danger, and McLaren certainly dont want to replace Mobil, but Im pretty sure neither Total or Mobil would like to have to compete over sponsorplacement with another oil brand. So if BP will rejoin, they'll likely gun for one of the customer teams.
Im not sure if this year was representative of Renault. The car isnt designed for their unit, and lacks aero. Next year's car will probably be more competitive, whether it'll be a consistent point scorer remains to be seen. But I definetly think McLaren will be stronger next year, we can just hope they'll be within the top 5 or even top 4. :)