ITV in scramble to find 2008 F1 sponsor, as Honda keeps its options open

Reports suggesting that Honda have pulled their sponsorship of this year's F1 coverage by ITV seem to be well-founded. With the first race in the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship due to get the green light on March 16th in Melbourne it appears that, as far as sponsorship is concerned, ITV1 may be left on the starting grid. In 2007, an integrated partnership, negotiated and delivered by Starcom+, the sponsorship arm of Starcom Mediavest Group, included broadcast sponsorship of races, qualifying programmes on ITV1 and highlights on ITV4, as well as interactive coverage featuring exclusive Honda and F1 content. The deal also included sponsorship of www.itv.com/f1. In a statement, Tom Gardner, Honda (UK)'s Head of Marketing, told The UK Sponsorship Database: "The contract with ITV for the Formula 1 coverage sponsorship expired last year at the end of the season - the campaign was a success, the F1 platform fitting well with the last year's 'Hondamentalism' advertising campaign. "As Honda has just launched a new environmental campaign, we will be reviewing media options tied into that campaign. Obviously, with the arrival of Ross Braun at Honda Racing F1 Team, we have high hopes for the season and are looking at a number of opportunities, but there is nothing confirmed at this stage".   E&OE