Tag-Heuer's 30-year partnership comes to an end as watch manufacturer heads to Red Bull.

Even though the Austrian team has yet to confirm its engine supplier for 2016, the cars will at least have one new sponsor, Tag-Heuer.

"We just signed with Red Bull Racing in F1 for next season," Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver told Switzerland's L'Hebdo magazine. "It's a young, dynamic and go-getter team, perfectly matching the strategy of TAG Heuer."

However, McLaren was keen to play down talk that this is another blow to the team in what has been a torrid season.

"McLaren's partnership with Tag Heuer has been one of the most successful and enduring sponsorships in sporting history," a spokesman told Pitpass. "It has lasted 30 years, during which time both parties have achieved enormous success together.

"On track the team has won grands prix and world championships with such iconic racing heroes as Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton, and off track Tag Heuer's association with the team has caused its watches to become globally synonymous with high technology, precision and speed - three principal hallmarks of the McLaren brand.

"It is therefore with gratitude that we announce the end of our 30-year partnership, satisfied as both parties are with a job well done. Our relationship with Tag Heuer's parent company LVMH continues via our new partnership with Chandon, announced last month."

With its relationship with Renault, certainly as we currently know it, coming to an end, Red Bull is set to lose sponsors Infiniti and Total at the end of next season.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by mickl, 19/11/2015 15:59

"Wonder if they'll release the Tag Heuer Sundial this year? It'll have an annual calendar marked by images of a baby's dummy at certain points of the year........."

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2. Posted by nonickname, 18/11/2015 7:05

"I think it is a wonderful move. It means that they are slowing down time,in itself a good plot. They are going from dead slow at Mclaren to a possible dead stop at Red Bull."

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3. Posted by scf1fan, 17/11/2015 22:48

" "It's a young, dynamic and go-getter team, perfectly matching the strategy of TAG Heuer." Wow, talk about hyperbole! :-)

@GLS-BrooklynNY . . . I'm scratching my head a little because I'm very confused! :-) Are you writing your response specifically in regards to the Tag-Heuer moving their sponsorship to RB article?

Generally, and with all due respect, I think your proposed ideas, although perhaps describing some idealized form of world motorsport, would not work well in F1. F1 is, and mostly has been, comprised of people and personalities that do not play well with others. Sharing is something they only do under some duress, usually with BE threatening them to some degree or if they are dealing with an unattached outside vendor. (Brembo for instance.)

At this point there are three main ingredients to a really successful F1 Car. The chassis, the PU and the driver. Fuel, brakes, and other accessory devices make little difference as long as they meet some minimum of performance capability, though certain drivers might otherwise have their preferences. The likelihood of anyone sharing their "secret" of success willingly is very slim.

Perhaps separating power unit manufacturers would help with some issues, though that might put Ferrari in a bind. I'd also like a simpler (PU) formula either like 100 l/hr unlimited fuel, or 100 l per typical race distance - run what you brung! Baring that, complex is always going to be difficult to avoid.

Trying to address some of your other suggestions more generally, a lot of the reasons that many companies don't participate in F1 is that they don't see it as good for their business models. GM, Ford, Toyota, Mazda among many others all race in other venues. (Some of these have even tried F1 for short periods and left.) Grouping them together in various combinations won't make F1 any more attractive to them. (No matter how entertaining I might find the idea of a Yugo/Tata/Koenigsegg entry. :-)"

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4. Posted by GLS-BrooklynNY, 17/11/2015 19:10

"Some Ideas for Red Bull, a new F1 engine Builder-2016 and new directions for F1 Racing

This article has a few points to enable Red Bull become a joint-owner of shared and sourced engine builder(called “F1-Engine”) that can supply to any existing or new F1 team that wants to come into play in the F1 racing. Red Bull can be the joint owner of a Renault original source engine from end of 2015 and build on top of it by a team of engine builders from Cosworth, MecaChrome and Riccardo,. In order to reduce the risk of non-peak performance and the failure-performing investment, F1 and Red Bull can allow other vetted automobile manufacturers to buy interest and participation in this engine development using a 3 month residential development period allocated to each part-participating engine builders. What come to mind is BMW, Porsche SE, Jaguar and PSA. These manufacturers can invest $50 million(for example) in this F1 supported consortium, purchase a 3 month resident builder permits (over a 3 year period) and incorporate their innovations into the engine and pass it on to the next manufacturer in line. The innovations will be patented and owned by respective inventor companies. This gives a low-cost entry and opportunity for non-participating automakers to join and develop the common sourced engine for other teams and help them to go into F1 racing by themselves. This shared F1 engine will be managed by the majority owner, “Red Bull” in this case. There can be other teams from other nations. This approach opens up two new parallel ventures in F1 racing. Similar groups of auto manufacturers can be formed for joint-chassis development for “other” teams. There can be chassis and engine development made by auto manufacturers from China, Korea, USA and Japan. Such efforts can commit to a long-term development and sharing of costs and additional advertisement revenues from those nations due to increased vendor and driver participation. We can add additional fuel manufacturers too in the line-up. For example, Petronas can supply the same fuel to Red Bull-Renault if the fuel efficiency makes a difference! The more teams, the better will be the F1 show. Different countries can front F1 teams and make use of the common sourced engines and chassis along with the main teams with their own “Works” engines and chassis and engine manufacturers. More innovations, sharing of risk, low-cost approach, low-cost entry into F1 and the F1 fans will be able to enjoy racing again! The F1 owners can add different capacity engines and emission control to make the F1 racing more challenging!
"

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Tag-Heuer to sponsor Red Bull

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