[themsrsdude]

when drivers say the name of the title sponsor and team they work with?

For example, Lewis said the following:

We started the season with what was the slowest car in the field, but we never gave up, and on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, you could argue that we had the fastest car out there. That's an absolutely incredible achievement – and I can't think of a single team other than Vodafone McLaren Mercedes that could have done that. Ach! Reminds me a lot of NASCAR when drivers spiel the entire roster of sponsors.

I just hope drivers don't start saying, "Marlboro, Etihad, Bridgestone, FIAT, Ferrari, Alice, #7" before they say a word worth noticing.

[LongaDonga]

I think Vodafone would be even more annoyed if he didn't say it

[mr.supervideogoodfd]

probably in the contract there is somewhere that says the driver/team member has to mention the sponsors name when talking about his team.

still, its annoying. reminds me of the 70s and 80s with colin chapmans 'john player specials' rather than there true name........

[drislerfottor]

Keeping your sponsors happy and in the limelight go hand in hand with continued sponsorship and good relations. It may be the team itself that does the actual work, but without the money to do so there is no team.

To me it's no different or less important than drivers that bring up how important the engineers and mechanics are to the team.

[XqrkN4a0]

If we want F1 to be the pinnacle then we have to accept that teams and drivers will whore themselves out for funding. It would be worse if the whole sport did it, like the Burger King F1 Championship.

[Sensbachtal]

If we want F1 to be the pinnacle then we have to accept that teams and drivers will whore themselves out for funding. It would be worse if the whole sport did it, like the Burger King F1 Championship.

"whore themselves out"?
F1 is a business as is all professional motorsports.
Lewis Hamilton races in F1 because of Vodafone, McLaren and Mercedes not in spite of them.

[XqrkN4a0]

"whore themselves out"?
F1 is a business as is all professional motorsports.
Lewis Hamilton races in F1 because of Vodafone, McLaren and Mercedes not in spite of them.

Just because it is necessary doesn't make the whole thing any more palatable

[espenijij]

I think it's pretty obvious that whatever drivers say, it goes through a PR machine before getting published on the net or any newspaper. For example, any of Ferrari's press releases in the last year, or any of the track guides, make Kimi sound like a poet, when we all know he tells it as damn straight as possible.

What Lewis might have said must only be "Mclaren," and by the time it went through the PR machine, it became "Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes." Don't slack the driver for this, because IMO they don't even have the time to say all of that.

[ZenDers]

I don't like it.

I love NASCAR, but they seem to have misplaced the word 'car'. It really annoys me when someone says 'the number 24 DuPont Chevrolet Impala was great today'. It should be 'the CAR was great today'. Everyone has just watched you win the race for four hours, they know which car you drive and who the sponsors are, we don't need to be reminded.

Also, 'I'd like to thank Pepsi, Dewalt, Shell, etc.' gets on my nerves.

God help us if this makes it's way into Formula One as standard practice for the drivers.

[jakitula]

I dont think Hamilton especially said that - it is the name of the team, remember when tobacco advertising was prominent for example. I'd give him the benefit of teh doubt.

It is not unusual or extraordinary for a driver to day the full name. And even if he does, there is nothing wrong with it. It pays their bills and allows them lifestyles of extreme ease to say the least.

Nobody objects to saying the "Bridgestone softs" or whatever, so why not the racing team?

I agree that thanking each and every sponsor is over the top, very Budweiser versus Moet and something I would not like to see in f1, but that is not what Lewis did.

On the other hand, f1 traditions are also broken when the drivers are required to substitute a fizzy liquid for champagne at grands prix due to barmy religion customs - but then religion is ridiculous anyway.

[Sensbachtal]

Just because it is necessary doesn't make the whole thing any more palatable

I find it glorious!!!!!!!!

I hate it when a driver doesn't thank their sponsor. I consider it not only unprofessional but ungrateful as well.

[jakitula]

I find it glorious!!!!!!!!

I hate it when a driver doesn't thank their sponsor. I consider it not only unprofessional but ungrateful as well.

Gratitude is not part of this at all. It is an arrangment that recognizes the benefit being associated with a team and the team understands that they have to perform reasonably well at least.

The issue is the obvious commercial when nascar drivers bubble over and mention the laundry list of companies.

Formula one is sophisticated and nascar-type behavior will be viewed as gauche.

[XqrkN4a0]

I find it glorious!!!!!!!!

I hate it when a driver doesn't thank their sponsor. I consider it not only unprofessional but ungrateful as well.

The sponsor doesn't thank the driver though ('cept with money which they probably don't need). If a driver is winning then the sponsor is getting more airtime for their spend, making the product look better and generally doing the sponsor a service. To then be expected to thank them for the oppourtunity of advertsing on their behalf is a little too much IMO. The process of sponsorship is fairly straight cut, sponsor pays money, sponsor gets advertising. It should end there rather than infesting every interview.

[P1international]

The sponsor doesn't thank the driver though ('cept with money which they probably don't need). If a driver is winning then the sponsor is getting more airtime for their spend, making the product look better and generally doing the sponsor a service. To then be expected to thank them for the oppourtunity of advertsing on their behalf is a little too much IMO. The process of sponsorship is fairly straight cut, sponsor pays money, sponsor gets advertising. It should end there rather than infesting every interview.

The advertising arrangement is not so simple: in all likelihood it INCLUDES the stipulation that team drivers mention the sponsor's name during interviews.

A business arrangement relies on both parties being cheerleaders for each other.

[crestorinfo]

Yeah , bad old Lewis , actually uttering the actual name of the team , and in public , no less .

Ewww . Sends chills down the back of the neck , eh ?

Get real , kids .

Those who pays gobs for the naming rights like to hear the name .

Should we also be upset with all those ugly ad signs we have to watch in telecasts of the race ?
And , how horrible is it , that we are forced to put up with corporate colours on all those cars ? Shouldn't they all be white , with huge numbers to tell them apart ?

This is the reality of the situation we have . The sponsors enable us to see cars racing .
Don't slag a driver because he's appreciative .

[beenBinybelia]

when drivers say the name of the title sponsor and team they work with?

For example, Lewis said the following:

Ach! Reminds me a lot of NASCAR when drivers spiel the entire roster of sponsors.

I just hope drivers don't start saying, "Marlboro, Etihad, Bridgestone, FIAT, Ferrari, Alice, #7" before they say a word worth noticing.

It's found its way to F1 only recently. I remember banging my head against the wall when watching CART broadcasts in the 90's. Even if you asked "what time is it?" from the driver, he would answer: "My Marlboro Texaco Havoline watch powered by Pennzoil says it's half four."

[Injurnerona]

It's found its way to F1 only recently. I remember banging my head against the wall when watching CART broadcasts in the 90's. Even if you asked "what time is it?" from the driver, he would answer: "My Marlboro Texaco Havoline watch powered by Pennzoil says it's half four."

f1 is just slow to catch up to the sophistication of naptaxicar.......of course that is why each of the top 20 drivers in nascar make far more money than each of the top 20 drivers in f1, and its money that is all important.....just look at what kimi wants

i just love it when gordon shakes that tiny bottle of pepsi after a win.....soon f1 will be doing the same

opps, last f1 race.......

[Sensbachtal]

It's found its way to F1 only recently. I remember banging my head against the wall when watching CART broadcasts in the 90's. Even if you asked "what time is it?" from the driver, he would answer: "My Marlboro Texaco Havoline watch powered by Pennzoil says it's half four."

And nobody ever uttered "John Player Special" or "ELF Tyrrell" back in the 1970's?

[JamesTornC]

Yeah , bad old Lewis , actually uttering the actual name of the team , and in public , no less .

Ewww . Sends chills down the back of the neck , eh ?

Get real , kids .

Those who pays gobs for the naming rights like to hear the name .

Should we also be upset with all those ugly ad signs we have to watch in telecasts of the race ?
And , how horrible is it , that we are forced to put up with corporate colours on all those cars ? Shouldn't they all be white , with huge numbers to tell them apart ?

This is the reality of the situation we have . The sponsors enable us to see cars racing .
Don't slag a driver because he's appreciative .

There is a lot of difference between thanking the sponsors for contributing to the team, and squeezing their names into normal sentences that turns the whole thing to gibberish. The names of F1 teams contain at most one sponsor. That is reasonable, and I guess using the full name of the team is ok.
The difference from there to 'the number 24 DuPont Chevrolet Impala was great today' is quite large, though, and I hope F1 never gets there.

If your team management can't negotiate a contract that doesn't forbid you to talk properly, you need better management. Sponsors pay for logos, association, drivers appearing at events etc. but they should never be allowed to control the words of individuals.

[NEronchik]

Just because it is necessary doesn't make the whole thing any more palatable

True

Gordon Sheddon/BTCC slipping in "Clydedale Bank" whenever he could was crafty and annoying at the same time.