The Sauber F1 team has confirmed a new sponsor in the form of Premier League Football Club, Chelsea FC.
The football team, owned by billionaire Roman Abramovich, has entered into partnership with the Swiss team, and will see its logos on the C31 from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.
The team had hinted at such a deal with ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘True Blue’ lettering on the cars in China and Bahrain, which The F1 Times previously reported may have been hinting at sponsorship from JetBlue – however this hasn’t turned out to be the case.
The teams CEO Monisha Kaltenborn, hailed the unique deal: “A partnership like this between Formula One and Football has never existed before in this form, yet there are numerous commonalities and possible synergies. In either case we are talking about team sport at the highest – and international – level.
“The Sauber F1 Team and Chelsea FC are dealing with many of the same sporting and commercial topics and we want to strengthen each other in these areas. We are looking forward to exploiting these opportunities, and we congratulate Chelsea on making it to the final of the Champions League.”
Chelsea Chief Executive Ron Gourlay added: “This is an innovative partnership that will see a football club link up with a Formula 1 team like never before, bringing together two of the world’s biggest sports and uniting our fans.
“We felt that this Swiss team, the fourth oldest of the existing teams, reflects our own ideals perfectly.
“In a year when Chelsea celebrates 20 seasons as a Premier League team, Sauber does so as a Formula 1 team. We share many philosophies when it comes to how the respective organisations are run, from the development of young talent to constantly striving for success. Sauber’s philosophy towards grassroots development has produced some of the best drivers in F1, which mirrors our dedication to develop promising young football talent through our Academy.
“This partnership will benefit us both greatly, with the potential to create unique commercial opportunities. It is a shared vision to unite the two most attractive sports in the world. We look forward to working closely with the Sauber F1 Team and wish them the very best of luck for the remainder of the Formula 1 season.”
Sauber logos will also appear at the Chelsea FC ground at Stamford Bridge.
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