Auto123.com - Helping you drive happy

F1: British newspaper Mirror never said McLaren lost whisky sponsor

|
Get the best interest rate
Khatir Soltani
From GMM

Johnnie Walker parent Diageo declined to step up its deal with McLaren to title sponsorship.

Days ago, news agency GMM reported incorrectly that because Bernie Ecclestone had signed the whisky brand as an official F1 sponsor, it meant Johnnie Walker was leaving McLaren.

In fact, Mirror correspondent Byron Young had claimed only that McLaren had hoped Diageo, the British alcohol drink multinational, would choose to expand the team deal to finally replace departed Vodafone as title sponsor.

McLaren has also moved to clarify the situation in the past days, a source admitting that while Diageo did decline to step up to title sponsorship, Johnnie Walker will continue to be represented on the livery of next year's Honda-powered car.

The team source also pointed out that Diageo's new deal to become the 'Official Whisky' of formula one is "comparatively small" and therefore not related to Diageo's decision-making with regards to McLaren.


F1 McLaren Monaco 2014
Kevin Magnussen, McLaren. (Photo: WRi2)


Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada