With reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton on it's books and one of the best cars on the Formula One grid, McLaren Mercedes is surely one of the front runners to win the F1 championship this year. Alongside Vodafone and Mobil, they have Diageo as one of their sponsors, and their Johnnie Walker brand will no doubt benefit hugely from being associated with one of the oldest motor racing teams.At the other end of the grid is Force India. The youngest F1 team, which finished last years championship without scoring a point. This year however, they have joined with McLaren Mercedes to use their engines and share data. This will, no doubt, enable this small team to climb the grid. Ironic, therefore, that they today launched their car with rival whisky company, Whyte & Mackay logos prominantly on their sidepods.
Both the team and Whyte & Mackay are owned by Indian Vijay Mallya, and he is using his team to promote his brands. Last year, amogst the Kingfisher logos, was Dalmore and Jura, but the change to their blend brand appears to be targeting Johnnie Walker head on, and all the while taking advantage of using their rival's engine! Let war commence...
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