Monster Energy Teams Up with Mercedes GP Petronas

On the day of the first race of the highly-anticipated 2010 Formula One season, the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team is pleased to confirm a new partnership with the energy drinks brand, Monster Energy.

As an integral part of Monster’s ongoing global push, the distinctive Monster Energy logo will feature on the helmets of the team’s drivers, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, and on their silver racesuits from the first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday 14 March.

Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Monster Energy to MERCEDES GP PETRONAS as we get our season underway in Bahrain this weekend. Monster had their first taste of Formula One success last year and we are very pleased that they have chosen our team to continue and extend their sponsorship involvement with the sport. With the Monster Energy logo prominent on the helmets of our drivers, Michael and Nico, the Monster brand has a strong global platform for bringing their dynamic marketing to Formula One. We look forward to working with them over the course of the 2010 season.”

Mark Hall, President of Monster Energy, said: “At Monster Energy we don’t hold back. Following our success with sponsoring the current Formula One World Champion Jenson Button in 2009, we’re delighted to have stepped up our involvement in the sport and joined with the current Constructors’ Champions MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. The team has such an exciting driver line-up with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher teaming up with emerging star Nico Rosberg and they will undoubtedly deliver Monster’s ‘Go Big’ message to the hundreds of millions of fans around the world that follow every race. The team’s competitive approach and commitment to achieving success is a perfect fit for Monster Energy as we continue to expand internationally.”

New Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team Presented at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart

Today, the new Silver Arrows Formula One works team MERCEDES GP PETRONAS was presented at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Nico Rosberg and seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher along with team management Ross Brawn, Nick Fry and Norbert Haug were introduced to guests with a presentation and press conference.

Over 600 guests, including 200 media representatives and 200 Mercedes-Benz employees, visited the Mercedes-Benz Museum, one of the biggest and most famous car museums in the world, to see the launch of the team and the unveiling of the new Silver Arrows livery. Mercedes-Benz employees from the company’s manufacturing plants in Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen, 100 of whom were invited for their outstanding performances and 100 selected through a popular internal draw, also had the opportunity to take their first look at the new MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team.

The event opened with a welcome speech by Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars before Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg unveiled the new Silver Arrows livery for the 2010 season on last year’s car. The team’s 2010 car, the MGP W01, will make its track debut at the first Formula One test in Valencia on Monday 1 February, with the 2010 Formula One season starting in Bahrain on 14 March.

The new silver and green livery creates a true marriage between the heritage of the Silver Arrows and the team’s title partner PETRONAS. The legacy of the Silver Arrows goes back to the 1934 Eifel Race when, on the evening before the event, the white paint was sanded off the Mercedes W25 race car to fulfil weight regulations (750kg formula) and the silver colour of the aluminium surface of the car appeared. This season, with the return of the Silver Arrows, the MGP W01 will shine in silver combined with a flow of iridescent silver and green shading. On the nose and other parts of the car, traces of black carbon fibre visible are visible – a reminder of the first Silver Arrow of 1934.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER:
“Finally the 2010 Formula One season is firing up! I have to say that I am totally committed to this new challenge. This season feels like a re-start for me and I am so motivated. We have a very exciting combination at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. We have a World Champion team in every sense of the word and I cannot wait to get into the car for the first time in Valencia. I am convinced that MERCEDES GP PETRONAS will be in a very good position to fight for the championships this season and I will definitely give it a go. Driving for Mercedes-Benz again is like the closing of a circle for me as I started my racing driver career with the three-pointed star on my helmet. This is another reason why I cannot wait for the competition to get underway.”

NICO ROSBERG:
“You can really feel the successful motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz here at the Museum in Stuttgart and to be part of the new Silver Arrows team and that racing heritage makes me feel extremely proud and motivated. Since joining the team in November, I have spent a lot of time at the factory in Brackley, at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth and here in Stuttgart, which has given me the opportunity to settle in and get to know everyone. I have seen how hard the team is working on the new car and I really can’t wait for the opportunity to drive it for the first time in Valencia next week. I am looking forward to working with everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS and will give it my all to reward their fantastic efforts with good on-track results this season.”

ROSS BRAWN, TEAM PRINCIPAL, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS:
“It is a privilege to be here at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart today for the official presentation of the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team. With your first look around the Museum, you realise the fantastic racing heritage of Mercedes-Benz and we hope to be able to contribute to those successes going forward. Our team have been working extremely hard throughout last year and over the winter on the development of the MGP W01 and everyone at the team is looking forward to the start of testing in Valencia next week. We have two excellent drivers in Nico and Michael, who will form one of the most exciting and one of the best partnerships on the grid, and with the support of Mercedes-Benz, Aabar, our new title partner PETRONAS and all of our team partners, everyone is looking forward to the 2010 Formula One season with anticipation.”

NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT:
“With today’s presentation of our new MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team, a new and certainly the most important chapter of over 100 years of Mercedes-Benz motorsport history begins. The new Formula One season will offer challenges which will be bigger than ever before in over sixty years of the sport’s history. We look forward to the cooperation with our drivers Nico Rosberg who has enormous capabilities and perspectives, and with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher who is no less motivated than at the time when he began his professional motor racing career with Mercedes-Benz and then made his first step into such a successful Formula One career with our support. Today I also cordially welcome our new title partner PETRONAS as well as our co-investor Aabar/IPIC together with all of our team partners. I warmly welcome all our colleagues from last year’s World Championship team Brawn GP headed by Ross Brawn and Nick Fry to the Mercedes family. There are challenging tasks ahead of us and we will tackle them with power, consistency and full motivation.”

Quotes Roundup – Week Ending 13th December

The very best from the mouths of those in the know.

Silverstone Gets 2010 Deal

The near-term future of the British GP is secure…

• “This will ensure that Great Britain will remain on the Formula 1 calendar for many years to come, which is something I have personally always wanted to see happen. The team at Silverstone already knows how to organise a good event, so now everyone can look forward to next summer at Silverstone.” Bernie Ecclestone
  
• “The place has an atmosphere that money can’t buy, and I have some fantastic memories of the track – winning both races in GP2 in 2006, getting an incredibly emotional and satisfying pole in ‘07 and winning in the wet in my championship year.” Lewis Hamilton
  
• “The BRDC and Silverstone have been absolutely mindful of the effect of the British Grand Prix on the industry in this country, which placed it in a difficult situation because they also had to think of their obligations to their own property and their own business. So it had to be a deal that was doable.” Damon Hill
  

Another Schumacher Comeback

The red team are keen on getting youngsters in the car…

• “Can someone who’s 40 or 41 years old compete against someone who is 24 years old? In other sports people have proven that they’re very capable even at that age, and I think that would add another fascinating aspect.” Nick Fry
  
• “He is exceptionally fit. He has never done anything else in his life — it’s the only thing he has devoted himself to — and the fact that he has gone and raced motorbikes shows that he has still got the need for speed.” Damon Hill
  
• “Schumacher coming back to F1 is great news for the sport. But I don’t know if it will be great news for Michael Schumacher. He will be putting his reputation on the line coming back into the sport.” Jenson Button
  

Brawn Recover From Their Year

Peter Sauber takes the helm once more…

• “The reaction we’ve got from most of the other teams is positive. Why anyone would not want to wish the name Mercedes, which I think is one of the top three brand names in the world, to be on a chassis would be an interesting discussion to have.” Nick Fry
  
• “After the race in Brazil it was an emotional moment and I was just knackered basically. I’d run out of steam because it was so stressful. Then you go through weeks of just waking up and not realising what you’ve achieved, other days you wake up and realise I’ve achieved my goal – I am world champion.” Jenson Button
  
• “The reality of life is that we have to up our game, because our competitors have upped their game. Cricket has gone from something that was as dull as ditchwater to something that is competition for F1. It is not the main competition, but it is example of how people have raised their game.” Nick Fry
  

10-Dec-09: Teams Begin to Plan for Group Launch

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

This is F1 Minute for the 10th December 2009.

The teams are definitely planning to go ahead with their joint launch, and Valencia is the destination of choice. Attending the Motorsport Business Forum in Monaco, Mercedes GP CEO Nick Fry said: “I wouldn’t wish to spill the beans on what we are going to do, but it is going to be hugely innovative. It is going to be a clear demonstration of how we are going to be working together. We are not all going off and doing our own individual launches, so we can do something that is a lot more customer friendly.”

Elsewhere the FIA have proposed a new points system to try and address the expansion in the grid. With 13 teams now, the points haul for winning could go up to 25 points, then 20, 15 and 10 for fourth, followed by 8-6-5-3-2 and one point for the tenth placed car.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Out of the Frying Pan

Nick Fry sits on the pitwall for Brawn GP during the British Grand Prix 2009. Fry has been quite open today about the team’s decision not to release Jenson Button from his contract with them before the end of the year. Although the Brit has signed for McLaren for 2010, he won’t be allowed to do anything for them until his current contract runs out.

Credit: Brawn GP

19-Nov-09: Brawn Won’t Let Button Out of Contract Early

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Today is the 19th November 2009, welcome to F1 Minute.

Autosport reports that Brawn GP aren’t going to be letting Button out of his contract with them anytime soon, as Nick Fry has confirmed the team are still working things out with him. He said: “Jenson will not be doing anything at all for McLaren until the end of this calendar year. And if he does, we will be looking on it very dimly.” Then he added: “There are clear constraints on what Jenson can do between now and the end of the year, which we will be rigorously enforcing.” That man means business!

Meanwhile, Trulli has been talking about his future, after testing with a NASCAR team yesterday. He said: “I haven’t signed with anyone yet and I’ve talked to teams. My door is open right now.” There are suggestions that he’ll make an announcement after this weekend, when he’ll be at the Toyota Motor Sport Festival at the Fuji Speedway. He’ll be joined be Kobayashi for the last F1 event the team participate in.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

25-Aug-09: Brawn GP Future Secure for Three Years

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this episode

Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s the 25th August 2009.

Good news for Brawn GP fans today, as the team have confirmed they have funding for the next three years. Talking to Autosport, CEO Nick Fry said: “We’ve signed some nice contracts, and those will come out into the open when we launch the car next year. There is zero worry on our side.” Ross Brawn has admitted that the breakaway fears of the last few months did slow the sponsor process up as interested parties were worried about the commercial future of the sport. Things are on a more even footing now, and Brawn has even hinted at re-signing Button and Barrichello for next year as well. He said: “There is no good reason not to. They are both doing a very good job, so I think after Spa we will start to look at it.”

Meanwhile, as we’re talking about the future, rally champ Sebastien Loeb has said if the opportunity for an F1 race or two came up next year, he’s be interested to see how well he could do.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Brawn GP Continue to Support Will Stevens on Driver Development Programme

Brawn GP Partner with Terminator Salvation at Spanish Grand Prix

In advance of the worldwide release of the highly anticipated motion picture Terminator Salvation, Brawn GP will join Sony Pictures Releasing International to feature imagery from the film on the team’s Formula One cars over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Terminator Salvation will be released in the US on 21 May and globally from 27 May.

The Brawn-Mercedes cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will carry the distinctive Terminator Salvation imagery on the rear wing throughout the Spanish Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The unique one-race sponsorship builds anticipation for the red-carpet European premiere of the film on 28 May in Paris, France.

The partnership reunites Sony Pictures Releasing International and Formula One following Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous appearance at the 2003 British Grand Prix to promote T3 Rise of the Machines.

Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer of Brawn GP, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting Sony Pictures Releasing International with the launch of Terminator Salvation at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. Our promotional partnership will see our race cars and our garage branded with the famous Terminator imagery as we help launch one of Hollywood’s biggest movies of the year to over 580 million Formula One viewers in over 90 countries. The Terminator brand promises exciting action and high drama as machines and human ingenuity battle for supremacy. It’s a perfect match for Brawn GP and Formula One.”

McG, Director of Terminator Salvation, added: “The Terminator franchise has a long standing relationship with Formula One and we are thrilled to be partnering with the Brawn GP team. Formula One represents the best of mechanical engineering and is a true trial of human spirit, themes that perfectly parallel Terminator Salvation.”

Sal Ladestro, Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Releasing International, said: “Formula One is one of the most popular sports in the world and there are no bigger stars right now than the Brawn GP team. With all eyes on Spain this weekend, we can think of no better partner to build anticipation for the international launch of Terminator Salvation than Brawn GP and the global sport of Formula One.”

Brawn GP and Ray-Ban Continue Partnership

Next Page »