Force India strikes up deal with flip-flop brand Havaianas

Force India has announced a new sponsorship deal with flip-flop brand Havaianas ahead of the opening round of the 2018 season this weekend in Melbourne.

Earlier this week, McLaren declared that it had signed a deal with another flip-flop company. The deal raised eyebrows, following the resemblance many drew between the halo, F1's cockpit protection device for the season ahead, and a flip-flop.

Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said that logo of Havaianas would be carried on the halo: "We are delighted to bring Havaianas into Formula 1. Where better than the halo to carry the famous Havaianas logo?

"It’s a savvy move by this loved Brazilian brand, which will bring a touch of the beach to the paddock throughout the season. We have always been an adventurous team with our marketing efforts, and after introducing the pink livery in 2017 we hope this partnership will appeal to all fun-loving Formula 1 fans in 2018.”

Marcio Utsch, CEO of Alpargatas, the makers of Havaianas, added: "This is huge news for Havaianas. We want to bring our fun and cool vibe to Formula 1 and the opportunity presented by Force India really grabbed our attention.

"At Havaianas, we pride ourselves on listening to the fans of our brand and over the last few months we have seen more and more people associating our flips-flops with the new halo across social media.

"Together with Force India we have come up with an eye-catching design on the car’s halo, which was the logical place to locate our flip-flop strap. We are looking forward to engaging with Formula 1 fans at races around the world throughout the year, so stay tuned for some exciting developments."