FEBRUARY 3, 2006

Small sponsors by the ton

MF1 Racing has announced a string of sponsors in the course of the winter months most of them linked to one or other of the drivers involved in the team. The team has 27 sponsorship deals on its notepaper alone but some of those deals are not going to be very large as they include several deals which look like barter arrangements.

The team continues to talk a good game

"It has been an exciting, sometimes bumpy ride since we accelerated our plans and became involved in F1 a year earlier than expected," says Colin Kolles, Managing Director of MF1 Racing. "But through all the ups and downs, we maintained a clear vision of where want to be and, step by step, we are getting there. We have restructured the company and refurbished our headquarters as the first stage of our long-term plans. The M16 car is 100% a product of MF1 Racing - solid proof of our serious intentions. But even though we have invested a great deal into building a brand-new car, we remain realistic about the challenge we face as a private team against the world's top motor manufacturers."

"At this stage in our development, we are excited to give opportunities to the young men and women who will become the future of Formula 1. Technical Director James Key and his team of engineers, who have designed and built the M16, are those people. Their car, like the company as a whole, is a platform for the future and will be continuously developed. Our target for 2006 is consistent and visible progress compared to our rivals, while maintaining the superb reliability record that highlighted 2005."

The most recent additions include an energy drinks called Rhino, the Superfund company, the Portuguese tourist authority and Israel's Zim shipping company.