Ecclestone, F1 To Finalize Five-Year, $200M Sponsorship Deal With Emirates

UPDATE #5 "Ecclestone proves "the sky's the limit when it comes to spreading his Grand Prix gospel worldwide." It is "typical of the sport's supremo that he honored what was no doubt an Emirates' request to keep quiet on the dealings between them until the details had been trashed out to their mutual satisfaction and benefit." His "delight and complete trust in doing business with associates from the UAE are one of his oft-stated pleasures." Now, "his show will be stylishly placarded around the world at 30,000-feet." Gulf News

02/05/13 In Dubai, Alaric Gomes noted four races are exempt from the partnership "because of pre-existing title sponsorship commitments": Melbourne, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Monaco. Emirates "has been at the forefront of sports partnerships," now reaching the Dhs 1B ($272.2M) mark in sponsorships. Sheikh Ahmad said, "This new partnership will truly become one of our main associations with a truly global reach." Gulf News

02/05/13 A reader writes, Dear AR1.com, IndyCar could never land a deal like this. They think small, they think domestic. Emirates would never do a deal with a domestic small minded organization that has no clue how to grow. As long as the Penskes and Ganassis are winning they are happy to see IndyCar stay just the way it is. It is their little fiefdom. For this reason IndyCar will always be small and a blemish on NASCAR's posterior. They tried to do a race in China that could have been the start of the series becoming a global brand, but they could not even get that right. Now the rumor is they are going to bring Angstadt back and if he comes back, can Tony George and Brian Barnhart be far behind? Mordichai Rosen, Los Angeles, CA.

02/05/13 This rumor is updated to 'fact' today. Emirates airline today agreed to a five-year sponsorship deal with F1 "as it tries to outdo regional rivals for global prominence." The Emirates name now will appear on F1 circuit bridges, around race course grounds and in team paddocks, "starting with the Malaysian Grand Prix in March." Reuters The deal is reportedly worth about US$200M, which would make it "one of the biggest in motorsport." Financial Times

02/05/13 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is tipped to sign up the airline Emirates as a major F1 sponsor on a visit to Dubai on Tuesday.

The Financial Times said the five year deal is worth "about $200m", making it "one of the biggest" in motor sport.

The report said Emirates would join formula one's clutch of official sponsors, including UBS, Rolex, Tata and LG.

Emirates, who sponsored McLaren in 2006, would not comment.

Meanwhile, F1's new official timekeeper – Rolex – has signed up as title sponsor of the 2013 season opener in Melbourne.

02/04/13

Ecclestone generates in one deal for F1 more sponsorship money than the entire IndyCar paddock can generate – Bernie thinks big, and wins big, IndyCar thinks small and remains small.

F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "is expected to seal a sponsorship deal for Formula One with Emirates Airlines" in Dubai on Tuesday worth about $200M, according to Kerr & Blitz of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Ecclestone is understood to have convinced Emirates to sign a five-year deal that in terms of size "would make it one of the biggest in motorsport."

Gulf states have been big sponsors of F1 over the past few years but Dubai entities "have been largely absent from F1." Emirates is expected to be a title sponsor of F1, joining a clutch of other companies, including UBS, Rolex, Pirelli, Tata Communications and LG. It is understood that under the terms of the agreement "its livery will not be on display at the Abu Dhabi and Bahrain Grand Prix." Emirates declined to comment. Ecclestone could not be reached for comment. Financial Times