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Post by QPR Report on Sept 24, 2009 19:20:15 GMT
ING Statement: Renault Dropped With Immediate Effect by Stuart Baird The Renault F1 teams title sponsor, Dutch financial group ING, have today announced that they will stop their sponsorship of the team with immediate effect. ING were to end the deal at the end of the season, but have revised their stance following the "crashgate" saga and have decided to end their relationship now. This means that Renault will be without a title sponsor for the Singapore Grand Prix, and possibly the end of the season. This may be yet another straw onto Renault's already weak back. If Renault fail to find a suitable title sponsor for 2010, it may add to there deliberation over whether to leave the sport or not. ING began their sponsorship of the team in 2007, just as double world champion Fernando Alonso left the team. He later returned for the 2008 season. ING are also named title sponsors of several Grand Prix's during the season, including the Australian Grand Prix and the Belgium Grand Prix. In other Renault news, FOM boss Bernie Ecclestone has said that he feels that ex-Renault team boss Flavio Briatore's lifetime ban for fixing the 2008 Singapore GP was too harsh. Ecclestone, who sat on the panel that passed judgement and sentence on the Italian team manager, has said that in hindsight he feels that he did not deserve a lifetime ban from any FIA sanctioned events, and that he should appeal the FIA's decision. bleacherreport.com/articles/260751-ing-statement-renault-dropped-with-immediate-effect
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Post by QPR Report on Sept 24, 2009 22:17:22 GMT
And The Times reports British Grand Prix scheduled for the same day as the World Cup Final
Times- British GP and World Cup are heading for Clashgate
Kevin Eason, Sports News Correspondent Bernie Ecclestone may be the director of a football club, but he appears to have forgotten what could be the most important date in the game’s calendar next year. The Formula One commercial rights-holder has scheduled the British Grand Prix on the same day, July 11, as the World Cup final. Sports fans may have to choose between a grand prix that could feature two British world champions, Lewis Hamilton, who won last year, and Jenson Button, who leads this year’s championship, or Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard, with England among the favourites to reach the final in Johannesburg. The scheduling by Ecclestone, a director of Queens Park Rangers, could be a calamity for a grand prix that is moving into a new home. The race is already under a cloud with uncertainty over whether Donington, which is due to take over from Silverstone next year, will be ready to host the race, which attracted almost 130,000 people this year. Ecclestone extended the deadline yesterday to the end of next week for Donington Ventures to supply details of its £100 million financing. Without an assurance that the money is there, he will switch the grand prix back to Silverstone. Even then, Silverstone officials will have lost weeks of planning. Tickets for next year would usually have gone on sale immediately after the last grand prix, in July. “The problem at Donington is financial — it is them getting the money together,” Ecclestone said yesterday. “Everything was ready and when this financial crisis came along, the banks pulled the plug on them.” Executives at Donington are talking of erecting big screens for the World Cup final, which starts at 7.30pm. But fans worried by traffic delays on the cramped roads or the threat of a downpour in the notoriously unreliable summer months might not want to take the risk and stay at home instead www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6848115.ece
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Sept 25, 2009 7:26:25 GMT
No big deal. It's not the first time the British GP and World Cup have clashed.
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Post by cpr on Sept 25, 2009 9:15:53 GMT
Agreed. F1 is toilet anyway. British Grand Prix will not take place at Donnington. England playing in a world cup final    ING were quitting sponsorship anyway so that's an elephant. What does Ecclestone know about football anyway. Just a few points from me there. ;D |
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Sept 25, 2009 10:58:22 GMT
Grosjean just smashed Renault's sponsorless car into the wall at turn 17. ;D news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8271633.stm1144: "Sorry guys, I lost the car in Turn 17," says Romain Grosjean. Yes, we saw that. Disbelieving looks on the Renault pit wall that scream "seriously, that corner??". By the way, there isn't room to put a permanent crane at that point, which basically means that we'll be looking at a safety car - again - should the same thing happen in the race. Cue lots of chin-stroking.
1141: RED FLAG. Renault's Romain Grosjean loses the back end coming out of Turn 17 and catches the right rear on the wall before rolling into the opposite wall. Believe it or not, unbelievably that is the exact wall that Nelson Piquet Jr smashed into last year. Oh the irony.
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Sept 25, 2009 11:39:51 GMT
Renault suffer twin sponsor blownews.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8273965.stmRenault have been hit by the news that title sponsor ING will end its contract with the Formula 1 team immediately. The Dutch-based financial group planned to pull out at the end of the season but will now leave four races early. The move follows the race-fixing scandal that resulted in a suspended ban for the former world champions. Renault, who have pledged to stay in the sport despite the bad publicity, had already lost the backing of Spanish insurance firm Mutua Madrilena. It asked for its name to be removed from Renault's cars on Thursday. ING was the largest sponsor on Renault's books, providing more than half their total sponsorship revenues according to some estimates. A report by industry monitor Formula Money earlier this year put ING's contribution to the sport at some $86m (£53m) last season, with $65m (£40m) going to Renault.
"In light of the verdict of the World Motor Sport Council of 21 September 2009 concerning the events that occurred at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, ING will terminate the contract with Renault Formula One with immediate effect," the company said.
"ING is deeply disappointed at this turn of events, especially in the context of an otherwise successful sponsorship."
Mutua Madrilena announced earlier on Thursday they had withdrawn their sponsorship from the team for similar reasons.Alonso will continue to receive the backing of Mutua Madrilena The company said the decision would have no impact on its sponsorship contract with Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso, who is expected to move to Ferrari for 2010. "Mutua Madrilena believes the conduct of the relevant people in the team was of extraordinary seriousness and not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also put the physical safety of spectators, drivers and circuit personnel at risk," the company said in a statement.
"This could affect the image, reputation and good name of the team's sponsors."
Renault were given a two-year suspended ban from Formula 1 for their role in fixing last year's Singapore Grand Prix.The FIA, the sport's governing body, also banned ex-Renault boss Flavio Briatore for life and suspended former engineering head Pat Symonds for five years for ordering Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr to crash. All three individuals implicated in the scandal have since left Renault, but the changes have arrived too late to save two of the team's key sponsorships. Alonso, who won the Singapore Grand Prix after the safety car was deployed, was cleared of any involvement.
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Post by cpr on Sept 25, 2009 11:43:00 GMT
Grosjean just smashed Renault's sponsorless car into the wall at turn 17. ;D news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8271633.stm1144: "Sorry guys, I lost the car in Turn 17," says Romain Grosjean. Yes, we saw that. Disbelieving looks on the Renault pit wall that scream "seriously, that corner??". By the way, there isn't room to put a permanent crane at that point, which basically means that we'll be looking at a safety car - again - should the same thing happen in the race. Cue lots of chin-stroking.
1141: RED FLAG. Renault's Romain Grosjean loses the back end coming out of Turn 17 and catches the right rear on the wall before rolling into the opposite wall. Believe it or not, unbelievably that is the exact wall that Nelson Piquet Jr smashed into last year. Oh the irony. That is surreal !!! Maybe it wasn't Nelsinho's deliberate act after all eh! |
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