BMW seals sponsorship deal

The newly-renamed BMW-Sauber team has concluded a sponsorship deal with IT giant Intel.

The American company had been in talks with McLaren over a title sponsorship but, just a day after they sealed a deal with Vodafone, Intel have hooked up with BMW-Sauber.

The deal stops short of the title sponsorship arrangement Intel were considering with McLaren but BMW motorsport chief Mario Theissen was happy to add another major company to his list of backers.

He said: “Formula One is a high-tech discipline. It demands the control and coordination of hundreds of parameters simultaneously and the precise execution of every step.

“Cutting-edge technology is a crucial success factor, and BMW has accepted the challenge. We are delighted that a strong partner such as Intel has done likewise in collaboration with us.”