Report: Virgin to leave Brawn and instead rename Manor F1 team; YouTube to sponsor USF1

[Giuseppe F1]

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090626140653.shtml

Virgin to Manor, YouTube to US F1?
Sponsoring speculation
26/06/09 14:06

Branson still looking to establish his brand in F1

Sir Richard Branson has signed a deal to re-name the new Formula One team Manor Grand Prix after his Virgin brand in 2010, Britain's BBC reports.

The flamboyant billionaire said at Silverstone last weekend that he is unlikely to continue sponsoring Brawn GP next year, because the Brackley-based championship leaders' value has skyrocketed.

Before the former Honda team's immense success, Brandon had grand plans for Brawn, including full naming sponsorship and possibly the transfer of equity.

Those plans, however, have reportedly been simply switched to the fledgling and more affordable 2010 entry Manor Grand Prix, the collaboration of boss John Booth's F3 outfit and former Simtek chief Nick Wirth.

Along with the Virgin speculation, the BBC reports that another well-known global brand will be involved with a new Formula One team in 2010.


Like Branson, YouTube co-founder American Chad Hurley was also at Silverstone, reportedly putting the finishing touches on a deal with the new US F1 team.

As the Team US F1 plans speed along, team co-founder Peter Windsor was stepped down from his role interviewing the drivers in the official post-qualifying and race press conferences, replaced by former ITV commentator James Allen.

© CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

[Knock-on]

http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=654124&postcount=19

Already reported before the rag tag media get's hold of it :D

Still a rumour athough looks likely.

[Bagwan]

USF1 was going to be named after YouTube , but as YouTube , Twitter , and Facebook have just merged , Peter Windsor's team will now be called "You Twit Face F1" .












hee hee .

[Knock-on]

USF1 was going to be named after YouTube , but as YouTube , Twitter , and Facebook have just merged , Peter Windsor's team will now be called "You Twit Face F1" .














hee hee .

Or "You book twit"

:D

[Dave B]

USF1 was going to be named after YouTube , but as YouTube , Twitter , and Facebook have just merged , Peter Windsor's team will now be called "You Twit Face F1" .
I like that :laugh: :up:

[christophulus]

It's good news if it's true. Means they may have the budget to compete after all, although I wonder how long they'll hang around if they build a dog-slow car?

[ioan]

USF1 was going to be named after YouTube , but as YouTube , Twitter , and Facebook have just merged , Peter Windsor's team will now be called "You Twit Face F1" .



Good one! :up: :rotflmao:

[call_me_andrew]

It's good news if it's true. Means they may have the budget to compete after all, although I wonder how long they'll hang around if they build a dog-slow car?

Force India is still around. Super Aguri showed that having a fast car doesn't help anything.

[CNR]

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090626140653.shtml

Virgin to Manor, YouTube to US F1?
Sponsoring speculation
26/06/09 14:06

YouTube co-founder American Chad Hurley was also at Silverstone, reportedly putting the finishing touches on a deal with the new US F1 team.


Q:
Google Has Acquired YouTube (http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/10/09/google-has-acquired-youtube/)
Moments ago the deal was confirmed. In their largest acquisition to date, Google has acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in an all stock ...

[ykiki]

Q:
Google Has Acquired YouTube (http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/10/09/google-has-acquired-youtube/)
Moments ago the deal was confirmed. In their largest acquisition to date, Google has acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in an all stock ...

Breaking news from 2006? :crazy:

[wmcot]

With YouTube sponsoring USGPE, does that mean the display of the track map on the steering wheels will be replaced with YouTube videos for the driver to watch during the race? ;)

[Dave B]

Or Google street views of the track with all the spectators' faces blurred.

[AJP]

USF1 was going to be named after YouTube , but as YouTube , Twitter , and Facebook have just merged , Peter Windsor's team will now be called "You Twit Face F1" .

Nice one Bags!! :)

[wmcot]

Breaking news from 2006? :crazy:

Some people are still stuck in the Schumacher era! :)

[CNR]

Breaking news from 2006? :crazy:
so why would youtube YouTube co-founder American Chad Hurley be there reportedly putting the finishing touches on a deal with the new US F1 team.


http://www.teletext.co.uk/motorsport/motor/stories/b3e38f0191c408485b7c5c2861505b75/F1+Manor+plans+uncertain.aspx
Manor plans uncertain

Manor Grand Prix admit they are unsure over how the new regulations agreed for 2010 will affect their entry.

The team were handed an entry next year, but they had wanted to race under the proposed £40m budget cap, which has now been abandoned.

[keysersoze]

Branson to sponsor a team? By his own admission this is his umpteenth attempt.

Publicity stunt.

[Giuseppe F1]

An email has alledgedly been leaked the the UK newspaper, THE GUARDIAN today stating that the deal is done and will see Virgin take a 20% stake in the Manor Team and apparently Saudi inverstors are involved too.

It seems that the deal has been part brokered or facilitated at least by the FIA's Donnelly which is sure to anger the FOTA teams even more over allegations of conflict of interest.

Alot of the F1 sites are covering this new development in this story:

AUTOSPORT.COM
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76653

Virgin set for Manor GP move

By Jonathan Noble
Friday, July 3rd 2009, 09:33 GMT

Virgin's switch from sponsoring Brawn GP to the new Manor team has been all but confirmed, after the Guardian newspaper published on Friday a leaked email saying the deal was done.

There has been intense speculation that Richard Branson's company would join the F1 newcomers for several weeks, with one source saying that the team has informed other potential sponsors that Virgin will buy into the outfit and have it renamed.

Manor itself has kept tight-lipped on the Virgin deal, with team boss John Booth telling AUTOSPORT last week that he would not comment on commercial deals.

However, the Guardian has published an email from Alan Donnelly, who is Max Mosley's official representative, saying the Virgin tie-up was completed several weeks ago.

"Virgin have signed to be investment partners with a share holding of around 20%," said the email.

Although the news of Virgin's deal with Manor is interesting enough, the involvement of Donnelly in the deal has added fresh intrigue - with several teams questioning whether or not there is a conflict of interest in his role as stewards' adviser.

The Formula One Teams' Association has already written to the FIA questioning Donnelly's neutrality in his steward role, although the governing body insists that any support for new teams is merely part of what should be expected to help bolster the grid and improve the sport.

The Guardian also revealed, however, that Donnelly proposed helping put together a deal with the Saudi royal family and the Manor team.

"I will be in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and look forward to seeing you at our planned meeting . . . with representatives of Manor and Virgin," wrote Donnelly in his email, sent to the Saudi royal family.

"However if you would like a pre-meeting with me privately on Sunday then please let me know."

Donnelly himself, however, insists that his visit to Saudi Arabia was purely official FIA business to meet with the country's sports ministry, potential investors in new circuits and the Saudi Motorsport Federation.

"I also met potential investors in Formula 1," the Guardian quoted him as saying. "It would be odd for an FIA representative to refuse to assist in any of these projects."


-----------------


F1-LIVE.COM
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090703102530.shtml

Leaked email says Virgin buying Manor stake
Donnelly linking up Virgin, Manor and Saudi investors
03/07/09 10:25
Virgin reportedly taking a stake in Manor

Virgin has decided to buy a share of the new Manor Formula One team, a leaked email has confirmed.

Sir Richard Branson's brand currently backs Brawn GP but the British billionaire said recently that the success of the team in 2009 had sent its 2010 sponsorship price too high.

We reported last week that Virgin may already have signed a deal to re-name and possible buy into the new 2010 entrant Manor, which involves FIA President Max Mosley's former Simtek colleague Nick Wirth.

Recent reports indicated that Mosley's FIA representative at Grand Prix and chief steward Alan Donnelly may also be involved, confirmed now in the pages of the Guardian newspaper.

An email authored by Donnelly indicates that the Virgin-Manor linkup was in place even before Manor was selected to join fellow new teams US F1 and Campos on the 2010 grid.

"Virgin have signed to be investment partners with a shareholding of around 20 percent,” Donnelly wrote.

Donnelly's questionable neutrality is also likely to return to the spotlight due to his arranging of meetings with Manor officials and a member of the Saudi royal family.


His email, attached to a draft Manor sponsorship and investment agreement, goes on: "I will be in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and look forward to seeing you at our planned meeting ... with representatives of Manor and Virgin.

"However if you would like a pre-meeting with me privately on Sunday then please let me know," Donnelly added.

Virgin and Manor did not comment, while Donnelly insists the email is not evidence of improper behaviour as he was already in Saudi Arabia on official FIA business.

Manor boss John Booth, meanwhile, told the English newspaper Dinnington Guardian that the team's commercial package will be confirmed in the next few months, followed by announcements regarding drivers in October.

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

[Bagwan]

Did we just catch the fox trying to get into the henhouse ?

Was Manor , a team kept secret until the last moment , a concocted scheme to join and dismantle FOTA ?

Stay tuned , as , right after this Virgin commercial , we'll be showing David Copperfield's "My favourite sleight of hand tricks" .

[I am evil Homer]

Does it matter....they'll be lucky to scrape into the Top 12 and Donnelly and Branson will both have to hide their embarassment.

[gshevlin]

In the past in F1, corporations have entered as a large-space or primary sponsor with a smaller team, then they have concluded that they get more value from less signage with a front-running team.
An example is Segafredo Zanetti, which was a primary sponsor for the Toleman team in 1984, but ended up taking much smaller signage at McLaren for 1985 and 1986. There are other examples out there, but this is the one that immediately springs to mind.
Right now VIrgin's investment in Brawn is about as far forward as they can get on the results and publicity grid in F1. Any investment in Manor (and investing in an F1 team is a distinctly high-risk gamble right now, given general uncertainty about the future of F1 and the global economic situation) will be in a start-up team, which is unlikely to be winning races any time soon.
I see no compelling business logic for the decision by Virgin to partner with Manor. In fact, as per my comments above, I can see at least two compelling arguments against this strategy.

[Bagwan]

"no compelling business logic" , and mystery lead me to think this is a try at membership in FOTA , to scuttle the boat .

[christophulus]

The new Team US F1 has pulled off a major coup by securing the services of YouTube co-founder and CEO Chad Hurley for its 2010 assault on grand prix racing, as AUTOSPORT predicted.

Following weeks of speculation linking Hurley with the operation, the Charlotte-based F1 team confirmed on Wednesday night that the billionaire will be the outfit's primary investor.


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77778

Getting a billionaire onboard means they have a fighting chance of being competitive, although in this era of cost cutting he won't have to put too much into the team. Clever!

Plus there's the outside possibility that F1 clips may legally be allowed on a certain video-sharing website soon :D

[truefan72]

lets hope manor G don't get too successful or Virgin will pull out. Nothing worse than having your branding on a winning car and splashed all over the world to see. No point in getting your brand the type of advertising you paid for by being constantly seen on TV on a front running car and being associated with a winner.

Branson may be a great businessman, but his dollar and sense notion of racing sponsorship, or advertising as a whole, seems off IMO. His cost benefit analysis seems off to me. Seems like he has a fixed amount he wants to spend and would basically undermine the very reason of why he wants to advertise by quantitative assessment rather than a qualitative one.

[Saint Devote]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77778

Getting a billionaire onboard means they have a fighting chance of being competitive, although in this era of cost cutting he won't have to put too much into the team. Clever!

Plus there's the outside possibility that F1 clips may legally be allowed on a certain video-sharing website soon :D

Well, as long as they do not go down the tubes!

I think they would require permission to show anything that is fed from the FIA accreditted cameras.

But what is unique is that Windsor has already told us the team is to be nascar fan friendly and there will be a constant video feed from the workshops.

[callum122]

About time Coca-Cola landed some sponsorship.

Edit: Maybe no need for Coca Cola after all. A 2009 report of the top 10 Global brands puts Google at No.1, Coca cola at No.3. :D

[gloomyDAY]

I'm happy that there is going to be a team on grid next year that doesn't do all of their work behind the curtains. USF1 is just trying to get more fan participation by welcoming their fans into the paddock rather than leaving them ostracized. Also, since I'm sure a lot of their footage will be uploaded onto YouTube, we'll get an insight into the paddock life. That's just great marketing!


I know there is going to be a lot of competition - it's going to take quite a few years to ramp up this team and get the cars into a position where we are competing for the world championship, but ultimately that's our goal. - Chad HurleyNow in terms of performance, I wish them well, but I have a feeling Formula One is going to punish USF1.

[ArrowsFA1]

I certainly admire the way USF1 are going about things. Whether they can be successful is another question entirely because setting an F1 team up from scratch is a hell of a task, but it will be interesting to watch their progress.

[I am evil Homer]

F1 is farr to much of a closed shop.....if USF1 open things up, via YouTube etc it can only help boost the sport's profile. As you say, whether their car will be any good, or their drivers, is another matter but so far they look like a worthy addition to the grid.

[ClarkFan]

lets hope manor G don't get too successful or Virgin will pull out. Nothing worse than having your branding on a winning car and splashed all over the world to see. No point in getting your brand the type of advertising you paid for by being constantly seen on TV on a front running car and being associated with a winner.

Branson may be a great businessman, but his dollar and sense notion of racing sponsorship, or advertising as a whole, seems off IMO. His cost benefit analysis seems off to me. Seems like he has a fixed amount he wants to spend and would basically undermine the very reason of why he wants to advertise by quantitative assessment rather than a qualitative one.
Branson is simply pursuing a branding image. Being associated with a slow, uncompetitive F1 team will free him from those demanding customers who want timely flights and good sevice.

;)

ClarkFan

[WSRfan82]

i was thinking more on the lines of.

book you twit f1 :-P

lmaoo

[truefan72]

Branson is simply pursuing a branding image. Being associated with a slow, uncompetitive F1 team will free him from those demanding customers who want timely flights and good sevice.

;)

ClarkFan

funny enough. although I have nothing bad to say about Virgin's service. the few times I've flown with them have been some of my better experiences.

maybe he's more interested in things like the hospitality tent, weekend packages, etc, and wants more of an active control over the team. I won;t be surprised if he actually has bought a sizable interest in the team.

I do hope Brawn find a sponsor though. I don't really care for them, but don't want to see them fade either. more competitive cars are better for everyone.