In 2011, Shell had reached an agreement with FOM to be visible on the sidelines of several tracks during the season. Additionally, the Anglo-Dutch brand had obtained the title sponsor status for the Belgian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
But Shell’s presence in F1 is also linked to a long-term partnership with Ferrari, which was extended by five years during last year’s Monza Grand Prix. This partnership includes two distinct aspects: significant branding on the Maranello cars and a strong technical partnership on the products supplied to the Scuderia.<\/p>\n
It is on this second aspect that the major oil company has now decided to focus, as confirmed by Kai-Uwe Witterstein, the global head of brand sponsorship: \u00ab *Shell has decided not to renew its advertising agreement on trackside with Formula One Management or to extend its title sponsorship of the Belgian Grand Prix. Instead, it has been decided to focus and strengthen our recently reinforced innovation partnership with Scuderia Ferrari. Being valid until 2020, this agreement with the largest team in the sport is proof of Shell’s commitment to Formula 1.* \u00bb<\/p>\n
For Bernie Ecclestone, it is also the fact that the multinational has extended its presence in F1 which is most important: “The reason is that we were unable to reach an agreement. I am happy they have reallocated their budget to Ferrari. They are still committed to the F1 family.”<\/p>\n
The Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix is therefore without a title sponsor today. This is now the case for the majority of the season’s events, as only a few have a specific agreement: Australia (Rolex), Bahrain (Gulf Air), China and Spain (Pirelli), Singapore (Singapore Airlines), Malaysia (Petronas), and Abu Dhabi (Etihad).<\/p>\n