At the beginning of the season, the team led by Eric Boullier had lost its partner in this area inherited from the Renault era since TW Steel had decided to associate with Sahara Force India.<\/p>\n
The leaders want to capitalize on a successful start to the season – Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen and the team occupy second place in the world championship – by signing new commercial partnerships to give themselves the means to continue the development race as far as possible during the season, without compromising the 2014 campaign, as explained by the team director: \u00ab The start of the 2013 season for Lotus F1 Team has been excellent and it is extremely satisfying to see this success recognized off the circuits through the announcement of Richard Mille joining our group of partners. We are extremely proud of our brand image and Richard Mille’s innovative approach to the design and manufacturing of his watches undoubtedly aligns with our core values that aim to stand out. \u00bb<\/p>\n
Richard Mille is no stranger to the world of motorsports, as it’s a communication sector he has heavily invested in since launching his brand in 2001. He actively supports the sector developed by Nicolas Todt, with his logo prominently displayed on the GP2 and GP3 single-seaters of ART Grand Prix. This allows him to be the official supplier for Felipe Massa and Jules Bianchi, even though they are under contract with Ferrari. However, since last year, the Italian brand has had a sponsor from this sector, Hublot, which is part of the LVMH group. At the beginning of the season, Richard Mille published on his website: Despite Ferrari being tied to another watch brand, Felipe and I wanted above all to continue our collaboration, in friendship and loyalty. He will always be part of the Richard Mille family.<\/p>\n
This contradictory scenario will repeat itself, but this time in the opposite direction. Indeed, Romain Grosjean, one of the Lotus drivers, already has his own watch partner since he is under contract with TAG Heuer, another luxury brand from the LVMH group. It will thus be interesting to see which watch he will wear on his next podium.<\/p>\n
As often happens in this type of partnership, the team plans to take double advantage of this association by allowing Richard Mille to create a limited series in their colors. Meanwhile, the watch brand’s logo will be prominently displayed at a strategic location, on the side of the front nose of Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen and Romain Grosjean’s single-seaters.<\/p>\n