Coca-Cola set to enter F1 with a leading team

**Rob** · 22nd November 2012, 18:09

The Coca-Cola company will enter Formula 1 next year, AUTOSPORT has learned, with the soft drinks company understood to have a signed a sponsorship deal with a leading team.

The deal will be announced on Thursday afternoon at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Although it is not clear which outfit has secured the contract, AUTOSPORT understands that the high-profile tie-up is with a team that has won a race this season.

Recent speculation that the team is McLaren, is believed to be wide of the mark however, especially with the team already having ties with the soft-drinks industry through Lucozade owner GlaxoSmithKline.

Several teams have been chasing tie-ups with Coca-Cola, which is set to promote one of its other brands rather than its most famous drink.

Coca-Cola brands include Fanta, Sprite, Vitaminwater, Powerade and Burn. One of the latter energy drinks is understood to be the most likely brand to be used in F1.

That would put it in direct competition with Red Bull - which has achieved huge promotion through its ownership of the championship-winning F1 team.

Coca-Cola branding previously appeared on Tomas Enge's car in F3000 over a decade ago and the company also sponsors the annual 600-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Charlotte.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/104458

Going to join team that has won this year,???

Williams?

About time Coca cloa entered F1, i know its not the name directy, but great news. And great the what ever team they are joining. Here you go Red Bull yet another brand that is bigger globally and had ALOT more history. (The other being us, Ferrari)

**Hornet** · 22nd November 2012, 18:27

I hope it doesn't end up with another team having a red color scheme, lol.

I wonder what it means by leading team. Top 3 team, as in Ferrari or McLaren?

**PURE PASSION** · 22nd November 2012, 18:43

They sign with Lotus to promote the energy drink Burn!!!!

**Greig** · 22nd November 2012, 18:45

Lotus would be my bet as well, they will get a lot of sponsorship for not a lot of money compared to going to Ferrari or McLaren.

**Massimo181** · 22nd November 2012, 18:46

Saw a programme on that Vitaminwater and there is no vitamins in it but just coloured water!!

**Ste** · 22nd November 2012, 18:48

It's already confirmed. 30 minutes after the article above was posted, this one was.

Coca-Cola's Burn brand to sponsor Lotus Formula 1 team

The Coca-Cola Company has confirmed it will sponsor the Lotus Formula 1 team through its Burn brand, as reported earlier by AUTOSPORT.

Burn will join an F1 grid that features increasing amounts of energy drink sponsorship by companies such as Red Bull, TNT and Monster.

"We are proud that The Coca-Cola Company [via Burn] has chosen Lotus F1 Team as the best vehicle to represent the burn brand in its most high profile partnership," said team boss Eric Boullier.

"We are excited to partner with burn to build a new and innovative model for sponsorships that will combine experiences, content creation and social media."

Burn said in a statement that it plans to incorporate "art and music in a way that will break the conventions of traditional F1 sponsorship".

The team said details of the sponsorship will be revealed in 2013 when the partnership officially launches.

**Rob** · 22nd November 2012, 19:25

Lotus, oh yeah forgot that they had won

**SoumyaBanerjee** · 22nd November 2012, 19:53

Im happy for Lotus,as its one of the teams which i like the most(apart from the Scuderia,of course). The resultant improvement in the team's financial situation can only bode well for the sport.

**Matt Pratola** · 22nd November 2012, 20:05

Nice for Lotus, although I think the Coca-Cola logo on Sauber's livery would have looked very nice. Maybe Pepsi will join the battle?

**Suzie** · 22nd November 2012, 20:16

Can't say I've ever tried Burn but it can't taste any worse than Red Bull.

**Nick Singer** · 22nd November 2012, 20:46

Originally Posted by Suzie

Can't say I've ever tried Burn but it can't taste any worse than Red Bull.

Red Bull (the drink!) is probably the ultimate example of the victory of 'style over substance'...

**Massimo** · 22nd November 2012, 21:23

I hope that Coca Cola is going to bring lot's of good to F1, only thing that's on my mind is, Coca Cola is a huge global brand, successful, winners, I'm sure they're not getting in F1 to be associated with mediocrity or even worse losing.
What i'm a little bit worried about is that Coca cola might get very powerful and use the racing team as a marketingtool, just like Red Bull is doing, Red Bull Racing is a marketing tool for the beverage, the way i see it, as long as they win, it's fine, when they start losing, it affects the image of the product, and they quit, or try to get wins in other ways than normal.
Ferrari or McLaren don't have this "problem", they are pure racing teams, it's all they do.
So who tell's me that Coca cola, when things go not the way the expected them to go, turns to the same games and tricks that Red Bull do, with all their power and money, things could get ugly.
I mean the last thing we need is a seccond Red Bull, but maybe i'm just seeing ghosts.

**Suzie** · 22nd November 2012, 21:43

I think it's just good that big companies like Coca-Cola think F1 a viable business to get involved in.
F1 needed something to replace the cigarette companies and if that comes in the form of energy drinks, then so be it.

**scuderiafan** · 22nd November 2012, 21:55

Originally Posted by Suzie

I think it's just good that big companies like Coca-Cola think F1 a viable business to get involved in.
F1 needed something to replace the cigarette companies and if that comes in the form of energy drinks, then so be it.

It used to be banks didn't it, before the crisis.

It is a shame, I think Coca Cola would have looked amazing on the Ferrari.

**Hermann** · 22nd November 2012, 21:58

Coca Cola on a Ferrari???? Where is the puke smiley here

**Suzie** · 22nd November 2012, 22:15

Originally Posted by Hermann

Coca Cola on a Ferrari???? Where is the puke smiley here

No worse than being sponsored by some crappy bank.

**Ste** · 22nd November 2012, 22:27

Originally Posted by Hermann

Coca Cola on a Ferrari???? Where is the puke smiley here

Agreed. Tacky as hell.

**Hermann** · 22nd November 2012, 23:03

Originally Posted by Suzie

No worse than being sponsored by some crappy bank.

I still prefer the bank

**SleepySpaghetti** · 22nd November 2012, 23:03

Although I understand Burn is much more popular in Europe and is better known for extreme sports than this other Coca-Cola owned brand but Full Throttle would have looked a lot better on the side of an F1 car.