Photos: Kimi Räikkönen Promo for Rexona

Rexona in Formula 1 - Lotus Renault Team Sponsor






Source: KRS

Renault courts MasterCard and Raikkonen

Renault could be set to push for Kimi Raikkonen to become Robert Kubica's future teammate.

It is now widely expected that the Finn, who left his Ferrari contract one year early to race in the world rally championship this year, is not keen to return to formula one as early as 2011.

But according to Finland's Turun Sanomat, Renault might be courting as a possible sponsor the American credit card multinational MasterCard.

Citing paddock rumours, the report said MasterCard would be interested in the deal "if Raikkonen would drive as Robert Kubica's teammate".

But 30-year-old Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson reportedly denied that even exploratory talks with Renault have been held.

MasterCard sponsored Lola's stillborn F1 effort in 1997, and the Jordan team in 1998-2001.

Source: Motorsport

[Video] Sam Dejonghe meets Sebastian Vettel

Source: YouTube @ samdejonghe

Deutsche Post joins Mercedes as sponsor

The Mercedes GP team has confirmed that it has signed a sponsorship deal with Deutsche Post, Europe's largest mail service company and the market leader for the German letter and parcel market.

Formerly in Formula 1 with Jordan - under subsidiary company DHL as well as with its parent company - plus having sponsored Timo Glock for much of the German's career, Deutsche Post is now an official partner of the reigning Champion.

The emblem of the world's largest logistics company, founded in 1995 and based in Bonn, will now been seen on the chassis and front wings of the cars driven by Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

"We are very pleased to welcome Deutsche Post to Mercedes GP and to feature the 'Post Horn' logo on our MGP W01 cars from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards," Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry commented on Wednesday.

"The team has been very successful in attracting new partners over the past months and Deutsche Post is a very welcome addition. We look forward to developing our relationship further over the coming months."

Source: GP Update

British bank eyes Red Bull sponsor deal - report

British banking giant Barclays is looking for a road into formula one.

Sources told Marketing Magazine that the London based bank, which according to Forbes is the world's 25th largest company, is in talks with Red Bull Racing.

Barclays denied the report.

The bank is currently title sponsor of England's Premier League football competition, with its three-year deal estimated at close to EUR100 million.

The Royal Bank of Scotland is pulling out of its Williams deal at the end of this season, and Holland's ING left Renault amid the crashgate scandal of 2009.

But Spain's Santander is strongly involved with both Ferrari and the British team McLaren, having successfully expanded its European and UK operations.

Source: F1 Complete

Kimi ends contract with the sponsor TAG Heuer

Rallydriver Kimi Räikkönen's market value isn't as high as the F1-driver Kimi Räikkönen's market value is on the international sponsor-fields. He was for 8 years TAG Heuer's "face" but when Räikkönen left F1 his sponsor-contract was ended.

- Our brand is focused on F1 but Kimi will still remain as our friend, Sponsorship Manager Yann de la Fouchardière from TAG Heuer says.

- TAG Heuer's and Kimi's contract wasn't terminated because of any problems, Dan Taavitsainen from TAG Heuer says and ends the wild paddock rumours about the star driver's bad attitude towards his sponsor's needs.

Yet nobody denies that Räikkönen wouldn't have looked quite pissed at times while starring his sponsor events - 15 minutes in his sponsor's guest events have often been 15 minutes too much for Räikkönen.

- Kimi's persona has a lot of attracting features, Taavitsainen reminds and refers to the Iceman's silence that is appreciated as something exotic in Middle Europe whereas in a Finn's eye it's seen as being grumpy.

- Our brand is Formula One and not rally and that's why the contract was ended, Taavitsainen says.

Kimi Räikkönen seems to have dropped from international sponsor-deals of millions to smaller and national sponsor-levels.

His latest supporter is the domestic phone company DNA. They haven't published his contract's financial value but it can't be more than tens of thousand euros.

Working as the 'face' in watch- and sunglass -business meant for Kimi Räikkönen, David Beckham and Brad Pitt over one million euros financial compensation per year.

They still believe in Räikkönen's market value in Maranello. Ferrari's shop is still selling Kimi-stuff with full price although the F1-season starts this week in Bahrain without the silent Iceman.

[NOTE: this news is from the beginning of the season... as you can tell]

Source: Tommi Aitio
Courtesy: Nicole