FEBRUARY 10, 2011

ExxonMobil extends McLaren sponsorship

ExxonMobil has announced today that it has extended it's sponsorship deal with the McLaren-Mercedes team for another five years, promoting it's Mobil 1 products.

The new deal continues the longest continuous oil company sponsorship with one F1 team, having first appeared on a McLaren in 1995. Reports say that the deal is likely worth $35m a year to McLaren. Mobil 1 has been involved in F1 for 33 years, entering the sport in 1978 with Williams.

ExxonMobil vice president for global marketing, Nigel Searle, said "The renewal of the Mobil 1 technology partnership between ExxonMobil and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes represents a commitment to excellence and achievement by two global and like-minded organizations. For the last 16 years, we have helped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes win amidst the extreme conditions of Formula 1 racing and to leverage our learnings on the track to enhance Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil formulations to help deliver outstanding passenger vehicle engine performance and protection on the road. We view the technology partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes as a high-return investment that helps drive the global growth of our Mobil 1 brand, and we look forward to continuing our successful collaboration."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said, "Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and ExxonMobil are at the cutting edge of automotive technology. Along with the other products used in our racing cars, Mobil 1 fully synthetic motor oil and lubricant technology helps us meet the challenges of the race week after week, enabling us to maximize our performance each and every time."