APRIL 3, 2009

A Virgin-Brawn deal on the cards

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is expected to be confirmed soon that will guarantee the team $30m next year. This will give Virgin the whole car to sell to other sponsors, if it chooses to do that. Anything Virgin receives it will keep and will be profit. One insider. Thus the sponsorship could not only provie the group with free publicity, but could also generate substantial profits. The team will receive some money from the Formula One group next year, based on its results this season, although as a new team it will two seasons before it will get excatly the same as the existing teams. This arrangement is not really a new idea as Ferrari has had s similar arrangement with Marlboro for many years. It remains to be seen whether the team will sell Virgin the status of title sponsor, or whether this will be sold as well.