25/04/2009
NEWS STORY
With its current sponsorship deal with Brawn GP said to be the 'bargain of the century', Virgin Group boss Richard Branson admits that he is considering taking over as title sponsor of the Brackley outfit.
With Brawn GP leading the Constructors' Championship and Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello leading the Drivers' Championship, Virgin's current deal, thought to be worth as little as $250,000 a race, has to be one of the best value deals in sport, never mind F1.
However, as the team looks to a future when it must stand on its own feet, as opposed to the money handed down by Honda, Richard Branson has revealed that he is giving serious consideration to improving the deal and possibly becoming the team's title sponsor.
"At the moment we are negotiating, as are other people, and we may or may not end up doing a full-branding exercise," said Branson, according to Eurosport. "If we don't do it we will obviously be the sponsor for this year and would be delighted with the way it has gone, and if we end up doing it, even better."
However, the Englishman, who is attending this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, admits that a bigger sponsor could enter the equation in which case he would gladly step aside.
"Someone could come in and pay a silly price," he said. "And if that happens, we will bow out gracefully. At the moment we've made an offer we feel we can afford."