ING stops sponsorship with Renault with immidiate effect

[Daika]

Title says it all. Reported in Dutch newspaper. ING is a Dutch company.

[HenryM]

Mutua Madrileña to.

[Sonic]

My guess is that all payments from ING had already been completed and as they are leaving at the end of 2009 they are just pulling their logos off the car to score some "moral marketing" points.

[Blancvino]

I'm going to out on a limb and say any sponsor deals for 2010 are dead in the water. Kiss the Renault in F1 goodbye.

[SGWilko]

Kiss the Renault in F1 goodbye.

Well, what about their 'deal' with the FIA - no fine if you commit to 2012......

[Blancvino]

Well, what about their 'deal' with the FIA - no fine if you commit to 2012......

Kind of hard to collect if they are not on the grid. If they lose their financial backing ... it moot anyway. There will not be a team in 2010.

I'm sure the F1 team is insulated from the Renault corporation, so the FIA won't have those pockets to fleece for a fine.

I could very well be wrong. Just a gut feeling they are a footnote after this season.

[Nikki Katz]

I hope that they stick around. ING and Mutua Madrilena were leaving at the end of the season anyway, but this can't be good for any oncoming sponsors.

[jonny hurlock]

are we having old skool renault liveries then(1979-1985) for the rest of the season?

[Sonic]

are we having old skool renault liveries then(1979-1985) for the rest of the season?

See now there's the silver lining! :D

[ioan]

I hope that they stick around. ING and Mutua Madrilena were leaving at the end of the season anyway...

Exactly.

[ioan]

are we having old skool renault liveries then(1979-1985) for the rest of the season?

That would be great.
They did an old school livery for last year's car to celebrate 30 years since their firt F1 win or something, and it looked good.

[Sonic]

That would be great.
They did an old school livery for last year's car to celebrate 30 years since their firt F1 win or something, and it looked good.

Didn't see that one. Do you have a pic kicking about??

[Sleeper]

Not looking good for Renault, they have no title sponsor signed up for next year and it looks like people dont want to know now.

[VkmSpouge]

Renault have known ING weren't renewing since last winter, so ING simply going 4 races early won't hurt the team too much and will hopefully improve the livery. I'm sure Renault will be able to get together a decent sponsorship package for 2010.

[Rollo]

won't hurt the team too much and will hopefully improve the livery

http://blogf1.co.uk/images/posts/Renault/2007/30ans-002.jpg

Yes Please :D

To be honest I thought that ING's space on the car looked pretty rubbish. A return to something sensible on the Renaults will be a vast improvement.

[V12]

http://blogf1.co.uk/images/posts/Renault/2007/30ans-002.jpg

Yes Please :D

To be honest I thought that ING's space on the car looked pretty rubbish. A return to something sensible on the Renaults will be a vast improvement.

*Drools at that car on the left* thanks for posting!

[ioan]

Didn't see that one. Do you have a pic kicking about??

http://blogf1.co.uk/images/posts/Renault/2007/30ans-002.jpg

Just click on the links ;) :

http://www.google.at/search?q=renault+30+years&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US :o fficial&client=firefox-a

PS: I see that Rollo already posted it.

[blito]

That looks SOOOO much better than almost anything put on the F1 grid in years!
lets hope they do that again :D

BTW, the "30 ans" bit on the cars nose makes me think it could have been done for silverstone 2007 - Renaults F1 debut was silverstone 1977 iirc

[christophulus]

On a somewhat less serious note, the new Renault livery has been revealed :p

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q127/Lukehmuse/newren.jpg

Not surprised ING and MM have pulled their sponsorship, they can't be seen to support Renault after their blatant cheating.

The FIA have been very lenient towards Renault though - along with the suspended ban, Alonso has been excused from the drivers press conference and there'll be no Renault rep at the team principals press conference tomorrow.

[ioan]

Not surprised ING and MM have pulled their sponsorship, they can't be seen to support Renault after their blatant cheating.

ING have already announce months ago that they quit at the end of the season.
Mutua Madrilena always goes where Alonso goes and they are now effectively taking advantage to end their contractual obligations earlier.

No sponsor left McLaren after Spygate and Liegate, so I doubt that ING and MM would have left if not for other circumstances than the Crashgate.

[Valve Bounce]

How about Piquet Sr? Maybe he would like to sponsor Renault in return for a drive for Jr.

[ioan]

I'm not sure that Renault would be happy with that arrangement right now. Just because they dropped their charges against the Piquets it doesn't mean that all is forgiven and forgotten.

[christophulus]

No sponsor left McLaren after Spygate and Liegate, so I doubt that ING and MM would have left if not for other circumstances than the Crashgate.

I don't doubt they would have left anyway, but they chose to do it before a race weekend to really stick the knife in, so to speak. It just further damages Renault's reputation and is going to make finding a new title sponsor (which they had to do anyway) even harder.

The possible saving grace for Renault is the budget reductions - the parent company could just about fund them for a couple of years like Honda in its twilight years. Plus there is talk of a Honda-style "green" rebrand (http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/what-would-you-do/) which I think they desperately need to start restoring their reputation.

[ioan]

I don't doubt they would have left anyway, but they chose to do it before a race weekend to really stick the knife in, so to speak.

They did it to save money for themselves. They couldn't care anymore about the image, remember they were associated with Renault when the cheating happened and for one year after that.


It just further damages Renault's reputation and is going to make finding a new title sponsor (which they had to do anyway) even harder.

I doubt that potential sponsors are watching f1 closely and I would be surprised if many will remember in 6 months time what happened last Monday.

Total will be probably the new Renault sponsor and they will go ahead because they are both French companies and also because Renault's image in France is fine, from reading a few French message boards it's obvious that a large majority of French F1 fans believe that Renault did nothing bad last year in Singapore.

[SGWilko]

They did it to save money for themselves. They couldn't care anymore about the image, remember they were associated with Renault when the cheating happened and for one year after that.



I doubt that potential sponsors are watching f1 closely and I would be surprised if many will remember in 6 months time what happened last Monday.

Total will be probably the new Renault sponsor and they will go ahead because they are both French companies and also because Renault's image in France is fine, from reading a few French message boards it's obvious that a large majority of French F1 fans believe that Renault did nothing bad last year in Singapore.

If BCCI were still solvent, they'd make a great title sponsor. And possibly Enron.....


Maird!!!!! ;)

[SGWilko]

If you were a potential sponsor, would you not research your medium of exposure before committing?

[ioan]

If you were a potential sponsor, would you not research your medium of exposure before committing?

Ofcourse and you would come up with the result that they are a team who were champions 3 years ago with a fan base of more than 100 millions in France and Spain alone, of which only 20% will know about what happened in Singapore last year and 50% of those believes the team did nothing wrong.

BTW the 20% rule will most probably apply to the whole F1 fan base.

I wouldn't worry for Renault. They'll have sponsors next season if they are still in F1.

[V12]

Plus there is talk of a Honda-style "green" rebrand (http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/what-would-you-do/) which I think they desperately need to start restoring their reputation.

Oh no, please no. If anyone from Renault is reading this (I know, they aren't), no no no no NO! a million times over. If Renault can't find any sponsors then if they continue and are funded by the parent company the cars should be yellow, black and white. End of. Just like the Hondas should have been white and red.

[Big Ben]

I think it´s nothing more than an excuse to leave sooner. ING is not living its best days so they got an opportunity to hit the road, I don´t know if they benefit financially from this or it´s just marketing... but I´m sure there are no moral principles behind it.

MM has been sponsoring FA for some time now... Is this a sign that FA is not going to be at Renault next year?

[ioan]

I think it´s nothing more than an excuse to leave sooner. ING is not living its best days so they got an opportunity to hit the road, I don´t know if they benefit financially from this or it´s just marketing... but I´m sure there are no moral principles behind it.

You're right. Bankers and moral principles are certainly not an often seen combination.

[Dave B]

If BCCI were still solvent, they'd make a great title sponsor. And possibly Enron.....


Maird!!!!! ;)
And Barings: Nick Leason could come over from the BTCC, his name's only one letter out :p

[gloomyDAY]

At least the car won't look so disgusting with those orange and yellow colors.

Renault took down both companies' decals, so next year a different paint scheme would be really nice. I think it's about time that Renault made a pretty car!

[Robinho]

how bothered are Renault anyway - certainly it doesn't look good when sponsors walk, but, ING were leaving at the end oft he year, so its not like Renault weren't looking for another title sponsor already and have been all year as ING announced ages back. if they haven't already lines something up, then it might be cheaper for someone to take up the space now. the big kick would be if whoever they have lined up to replace ING for next season decide not to go for it.

as for Mutua Madrilena, they are Alonso's sponsor and as such would have been leaving at the end of the year with Alonso anyway, and given how we all know Alonso is leaving i'm sure Renault have noticed.

ING and Mutua have cleverly taken the opportunity to get themselves some extra, positive exposure for free, and why not - before this week who had heard of Mutua Madrilena ( i assume they have a prescence in Spain as an Insurer, i'd never even seen there name on the cars )

[Dave B]

Mutua Madrilena, wasn't she in the Sugababes? :dozey: :p

[V12]

Mutua Madrilena, wasn't she in the Sugababes? :dozey: :p

Maybe, they seem to have had more members than I've had hot dinners.

[Dave B]

Maybe, they seem to have had more members ...
I'm fairly sure that's libelous :p