NEC extends with Sahara Force India
As pressure mounts on its co-owners, Sahara Force India has been able to renew its agreement with the company NEC and its Mexican subsidiary.
If NEC initially made its appearance in F1 with Sauber alongside its support for Sergio Perez, it has since joined the ranks of Sahara Force India’s sponsors.
But the association between the two partners is not only linked to the presence of the logo on the engine cover and on the team uniforms since the Japanese company also supplies its technological products to Sahara Force India.
If Vijay Mallya remained in the United Kingdom and did not travel to Australia to avoid the risk of imprisonment in India, he still does not miss the opportunity to commend this extension: « It’s a pleasure to retain NEC as our premium IT partner. The Formula One environment is filled with high technology, and we share NEC’s passion for pushing the boundaries with innovative technology solutions. »
The extension of a new sponsor is good news for the team, which must secure its future financially while its shareholders are in great difficulty. However, Otmar Szafnauer, the team’s operations manager, recently stated to Autosport that the 2016 season was secure: « We are a Formula 1 team; we always want more money. But we clearly have the necessary budget to pay our bills and carry out the development plan we have planned. That’s all that matters. »
In this context, the extension of Smirnoff’s support for 15 million dollars is even more important: « We recently signed a long-term agreement with Smirnoff, which will help, and the FOM money will strengthen the team’s finances. For all other sponsors, we either find new ones or re-sign with them. It can only be a plus. »
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
