McLaren – Historic partnership with X-Trade Brokers

X-Trade Brokers, a Warsaw-based brokerage house specialising in foreign exchange (FOREX), commodity and stock market investments, has today announced an historic partnership with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team.

X-Trade Brokers becomes the first Polish company to sign a partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and its logo (‘XTB’) will appear on the overalls of reigning World Champion Jenson Button and 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, as well as on the upper engine cover of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-25 Formula 1 car.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is one of the most successful teams competing in Formula 1, having won 20 World Championships since it entered Formula 1 in 1966, and in 2010 it will become the first Formula 1 team ever to field a driver line-up consisting of the two most recent World Champions:  Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

“X-Trade Brokers stands for success, prestige and being the best. Therefore, it’s only right that we’ve chosen Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to showcase our company to the world: success is the foundation of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and the two companies therefore make a very natural fit,” said Jakub Zablocki, Chief Executive Officer of X-Trade Brokers.

“When looking for a sponsorship property, we pondered at length which sport and which team would best reflect our own benchmarks of professionalism, high technology and need for speed. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes meets all those criteria as well as bringing with it attractive opportunities for X-Trade Brokers to increase its global brand footprint and awareness. Our partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes marks a new stage of dynamic development and expansion for X-Trade Brokers. It’s also a great day for Poland.” Zablocki continued.

“Adding X-Trade Brokers to our already world-class group of partners is a testament to the unique and enduring appeal of Formula 1 and of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes,” said Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of McLaren Racing, who attended today’s announcement in Warsaw.

“As a truly international Formula 1 team, we’re proud that that we’re in partnership with companies from a wide variety of nations across a diverse spread of industry sectors; now, we’re delighted to be able to add Poland to that roster. Not only is the arrival of X-Trade Brokers excellent news for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – it’s also a very exciting development  for Poland and Polish business generally, as Poland further extends its footprint into Formula 1.

“We at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes always make great efforts to ensure that our partners gain unbeatable returns on their investments, and that our partnership is just that: a mutually beneficial meeting of minds and aims, the result of which is an exciting blend of sporting triumph and commercial success,” Neale concluded.

This year X-Trade Brokers plans further development and international expansion as throughout 2010 operations will open in four new European countries:  France, Italy, Portugal and Hungary.  At the same time, XTB is concentrating on the acquisition of brokerage houses in Asia and South America which will see the beginnings of developing distribution networks beyond the EU.

Lotus Racing Announce CNN Partnership

Lotus Racing and CNN International have today announced a partnership deal that sees the newest Formula One^TM team entering into a long-term agreement with the world’s leading news network. CNN’s world famous logos will feature on the T127 race cars, the drivers’ overalls and on all team clothing.

The deal will be managed by CNN’s commercial ‘Partner Solutions Group’ and is led by Rani Raad, senior vice president CNN International Advertising Sales.

“The combination of two such iconic and aspirational global brands fits perfectly with CNN International’s worldwide reach and brand positioning,” said Raad. “This unique partnership with Lotus Racing takes CNN International into a new era of marketing and promotions and puts us in front of a worldwide audience of millions.”

A delighted Lotus Racing Team Principal Tony Fernandes commented: “We are very proud to welcome CNN into the Lotus Racing family. It is a sign of the positive impact we have already made in the global business market that such a prestigious brand, familiar to millions around the world as the definitive source of news and current affairs, has made the decision to partner with us. The whole team and I are looking forward to working with CNN in the months and years to come on some very exciting campaigns.”

New Partnership for Virgin Racing

The Virgin Racing Formula One team is pleased to announce a new partnership with UST Global®, a leading provider of end-to-end IT services and solutions for Global 1000 companies. The agreement between the team and the California-based company is for an initial period of three years.

Virgin Racing and UST Global intend to develop a strong operational partnership and over the course of the relationship, UST Global will collaborate with the team on a number of high-level technical projects. For 2010 UST Global is developing a bespoke race management tool that will provide the race engineers a 360 degree trackside perspective as each Grand Prix unfolds. This software collation programme will integrate a number of different information data streams from the FIA and FOM, the GPS positioning of the Virgin Racing cars out on track relative to the competition, plus FOM visual feeds to enable the engineers to optimise race strategy.

UST Global will also integrate the Wirth Research simulator with set-up data for the VR-01 to ensure a constant two-way correlation between both sets of inputs.

Additionally, UST Global will have a strong visual presence within the team. Their distinctive identity will appear on the Virgin Racing VR-01 race car, the racesuit and paddock wear of race drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi, team equipment, as well as the clothing of the race team and pit crew.

Graeme Lowdon, Virgin Racing’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome UST Global to Virgin Racing and to be entering into a partnership that will directly benefit our trackside operational performance. Virgin Racing is a very young team but we have a clearly defined path for development which has inspired the confidence of a growing list of discerning companies and brands. We look forward to working with UST Global over the next few weeks to prepare for our debut race in Bahrain and the exciting 2010 season beyond.”

Joe Nalkara, President of UST Global said “We are excited to be partnering with Virgin Racing. Formula One represents the pinnacle of racing, and like UST Global, Virgin Racing is a brand that epitomises customer experience and relationships. We are both next generation companies throwing aside convention to take on the establishment. These shared principles made it a natural choice for UST Global to partner with Virgin Racing over any other teams.”

Lotus Racing Appoints eBECS Ltd to Keep its Software Systems on Track for the 2010 F1 Season

Microsoft Business Solutions partner eBECS has been appointed by Lotus Racing to deliver a flexible software solution based on Microsoft Dynamics AX that will satisfy its demanding short term needs and also support its long term strategy.

eBECS was the partner of choice for Lotus Racing because of its experience in the automotive industry and its ability to implement successful and demanding Microsoft Dynamics solutions within short time frames.

Bill Peters, Head of IT, Lotus Racing, explains, “We came to the grid with a lot to do in a short time frame. We needed an entirely new solution that would assist in our aim of being ahead of the new teams when we all reach Bahrain, and also to support our objective of being close to the midfield teams after the first few races of the season. Peters continues, “We chose eBECS for their excellent reputation in the automotive industry and also because they took the time to listen carefully to our needs and then proposed a solution that really worked for us”

Stephen Wilson, Marketing Director, eBECS, comments, “We see Lotus as one of the most evocative names in British motor racing and we are thrilled to be working alongside Lotus Racing on such an exciting challenge.”

Oris strengthens AT&T Williams partnership for 2010

The Swiss watch manufacturer Oris continues to support Formula One. New for this year is the large logo on the front of the drivers’ overalls as well as on the side of each driver’s helmet.

The extension to Oris’ deal will also see the brand logo in its familiar position on the front wing end plate of the two new FW32s. The Oris logo will also retain its place on the drivers’ gloves and will continue to appear on the left sleeve of the team uniform.

This will be Oris’ seventh full season as an Official Partner of the AT&T Williams team.

Oris Executive Chairman, Ulrich W. Herzog commented:” Our increased commitment to AT&T Williams, in this tougher economic climate, underlines our firm resolution to further build the image of Oris watches within the competitive and prestigious field of Formula One.  We are convinced that, together with AT&T Williams, this will be particularly successful.”

Sir Frank Williams, the AT&T Williams Team Principal added, “I am delighted that Oris has increased its partnership agreement with the team which is now one of the longest standing relationships in our sponsorship portfolio.  In return, the team will ensure that this is only strengthened during 2010 to honour Oris’ continued commitment to our goal of success on the race track.”

The Oris logo appears in its familiar position on the front wing end plate for 2010. The new look AT&T Williams for the 2010 Formula One season. New for this season is the Oris logo on the front of the drivers’ overalls.

Mercedes GP Signs Long-Term Agreement with Petronas

Mercedes GP is delighted to announce the signing of a long-term agreement with PETRONAS which will see the Malaysian national oil and gas company become the title partner to the new Silver Arrows works team.

From 2010, the new team will compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship as the Mercedes GP PETRONAS Formula One Team and will carry the distinctive PETRONAS branding across the car and team liveries.

Leveraging Mercedes-Benz’s rich motorsport heritage and the long-standing involvement of PETRONAS in Formula One, the new title partnership also paves the way for future collaborations between the two companies. For PETRONAS, the partnership will enable the oil and gas giant to generate sustainable business growth, particularly in their downstream lubricants market, through the strategic partnership and business alliance with Mercedes-Benz, one of the most prestigious global automotive brands.

The Mercedes GP PETRONAS Formula One Team’s challenger for 2010 will make its track debut in its new livery at Valencia on 1 February 2010 for the first of the pre-season tests ahead of the 2010 Formula One season.

PETRONAS will continue to be the title sponsor of the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix, scheduled to be the third race of the new season, which will take place at the Sepang International Circuit on 4 April 2010.

Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports, said: “We are very pleased to begin our long-term partnership with our new title partner PETRONAS. Daimler, our premium brand Mercedes-Benz and PETRONAS will work together both on and off the track and I am sure that everybody involved will guarantee their absolute dedication to success. PETRONAS’ home base in Kuala Lumpur is located in the middle of a fast-growing region for the automotive industry which makes this new partnership even more valuable. Within the limits of the new Formula One resource restrictions, the Mercedes GP PETRONAS Formula One Team will be well positioned to achieve our goals. We will all strive to present efficient success in the future knowing at the same time that the new Formula One season with some fundamental rule changes will be a particularly challenging one.”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal of the Mercedes GP PETRONAS Formula One Team commented: “Everyone at Mercedes GP is delighted to confirm our long-term agreement with PETRONAS and we look forward to working closely with our new partner in the future. The collaboration of the premium automotive brand Mercedes-Benz and a company as prestigious as PETRONAS gives our team a fantastic base from which to achieve our ambitions of competing at the top level of Formula One and building on the success of 2009 which saw the team achieve the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships. Our plans for the new season are progressing well, as is the development of our 2010 challenger, and we look forward to seeing the car run in the new Silver Arrows and PETRONAS livery at the Valencia test in February.”

05-Nov-09: Force India Get Etihad Payout

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Today is the 5th November 2009, and this is F1 Minute.

Force India are dominating the news today, with some good and bad feeling amongst the paddock. Firstly, Etihad Airways have been court ordered to pay the team some compensation after ditching them as a sponsor and moving to Ferrari last year. I say some compensation, I’m talking $4.6 million for Etihad not terminating the contract properly.

Elsewhere, Autosport is reporting that the new Lotus team released some design pictures that members of the Force India team looked at very closely. With Mike Gascoyne at the helm of Lotus, having previously worked for FIF1, the similarities in the designs have been noted. There is nothing official or formally wrong at the moment, and Autosport does say that if Lotus sign the Concorde Agreement, the problem will go away thanks to some clauses in there about who gets to design what parts.

That’s it for now, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

Altran confirms its support to the Renault F1 Team

“In a partnership, it is essential to affirm one’s full support. Formula 1 is a constantly evolving sport, where technology choices have immediate repercussions on the car during the season. Completing this challenge alongside men and women from the Renault F1 team is what fascinates us every day,” says Pascal Brier, Deputy General Director of Altran.

For eight years, Altran has supported the Renault F1 Team by providing talented engineers in many areas (calculations, electronics, logistics and quality) both in Enstone (UK) for the chassis and Viry-Châtillon, near Paris, for the engines. On behalf of the Renault F1 Team, Altran faces the challenge of modelling the aerodynamic performance through the CFD Centre (Computational Fluids Dynamic Centre).

Within the team, it makes a contribution to test bed calculations optimization in order to identify on-board strategies better, to the development of the telemetry system for private testing, and to continuous performance improvement of the Virtual Car to simulate an entire weekend race.

“Our partnership with Altran has evolved over the years and has adapted to our changing needs according to the new FIA regulations, says Bob Bell, Technical Director and Team Principal. ”The talent of Altran consultants, fully integrated in our different teams, is to meet our ongoing quest for performance and reliability. Few companies are able to bring such a high level of expertise in so many different professions. Therefore we are pleased to have placed the Altran logo on the front wing of the R29, for the last Grand Prix of the 2009 season in Abu Dhabi.”

28-Oct-09: Renault Sign Up with New Sponsor

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It’s the 28th October 2009, welcome to F1 Minute.

Renault have announced their first sponsor deal since the fallout from the Singapore 2008 row, where two of their main sponsors ditched the team instantly. The team confirmed that they have signed a three year deal with TW Steel, a Dutch watchmaker. The deal starts at this weekend’s race in Abu Dhabi, so you should be able to spot some new stickers on the Renault car.

Elsewhere, McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh is hoping that the British Grand Prix can be saved, after the neverending Donington saga continues. He said: “It’s not just McLaren but everyone in F1 knows the importance of the British Grand Prix. You couldn’t say any are absolutely vital, but losing the British GP would be massively damaging to the sport. It’s the kind of support from the fans there. It’s different to other places.” Ah good. If we can get teams campaigning to get races on the calendar, we might have some hope for the future.

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

Renault F1 Team announces partnership with TW Steel

The partnership will come into effect from this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and will run until the end of the 2012 season. The R29 will carry TW Steel branding on the nose cone, the front wing flaps, as well as on the leading edge of the sidepods. Logos will also appear on timing monitors and on team uniforms and drivers’ suits from 2010.

At the signing of the agreement, Renault F1 Team Managing Director, Jean-François Caubet, said: “We are delighted to join forces with TW Steel as the official timing partner of the Renault F1 Team. Over the next three years we look forward to building a close and dynamic relationship as we strive to reach the highest level of performance on the racetrack. The partnership brings great value for both the Renault F1 Team and TW Steel and confirms the team’s positive outlook for the years ahead. I have no doubt that we will enjoy an exciting and successful future together.”

Jordy Cobelens, CEO of TW Steel, added: “I believe our partnership with the Renault F1 Team provides a tremendous global platform for TW Steel. Formula One has immense appeal for a young, ambitious brand such as ours and we look forward to activating our relationship with the Renault F1 Team and ultimately engaging the consumer worldwide through a targeted marketing programme. This is an exciting time to be involved in Formula One and we look forward to continued success both on and off-track through our new partnership.”

A photocall to mark the beginning of this partnership will be arranged on Friday 30th October in Abu Dhabi before the first free practice session in front of the team’s garage. Timing and details to be confirmed on Thursday.

For further details regarding this partnership please contact the Renault F1 Team Press Office: pressoffice@uk.renaultf1.com. For further information on TW Steel please visit: www.twsteel.com

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