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.
Petronas involvement in F1 next year was uncertain since BMW had confirmed withdrawal from F1. There were rumors that Petronas would step in to sponsor the new Lotus F1 Racing team. Then we heard Petronas boss Tan Sri Hassan Merican says the company will not involve in Formula 1 next year. Surprisingly, few days later they sign with Mercedes GP for long-term partnership.
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."
I thought Petronas would either sponsor the new Lotus team due to the Malaysian Givernment link or stay with the Sauber. In the end, they got themselves a good deal. Mercedes silver and Petronas turquoise in the Mercedes GP Petronas concept image, both colours really work, don't they.
