McLaren boss says 2017 ‘unlikely’ for headline sponsor for F1 team
A headline sponsor for the McLaren Formula One team is unlikely to be agreed in 2017, according to its recently-installed executive boss Zak Brown.
McLaren steps up sponsorship search.
Brown, whose background is in marketing and sponsorship, has made bringing an end to the team’s long search for a title sponsor a priority since taking on the role last month.
Since Vodafone’s deal with the team, which was worth $75m a year, expired in 2013, McLaren has failed to plug the gap. And although the commercial hole is unlikely to be filled over the next 12 months, Brown is hopeful that he will have a sponsor in place for next year.
He is reported by the Financial Times to have said that he expects an additional windfall from smaller deals throughout the year ahead, which will no doubt see him call on his experience as the founder and chief executive of JMI, which saw him plot made tie-ups in the sport.
Brown is the executive director for the racing team, a role which gives him responsibility of the commercial, marketing and racing duties for the team alongside chief operating officer Jonathan Neale. The team is currently looking for a chief executive to replace Ron Dennis, who had been at the helm for 35 years.