London: Formula One team Sauber have announced a ground-breaking new partnership with English Premier League football club Chelsea FC.
At the recent Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prix the Saubers featured the mysterious inscriptions 'Out of the Blue' and 'True Blue' on their engine covers to pique interest, but from next month's Spanish Grand Prix the club's official logo - in the team's distinctive blue - will have pride of place on the C31s.
"A partnership like this between Formula One and football has never existed before in this form, yet there are numerous commonalities and possible synergies," explained Sauber CEO Monisha Kaltenborn. "In either case we are talking about team sport at the highest-and international-level.
"The Sauber F1 Team and Chelsea FC are dealing with many of the same sporting and commercial topics and we want to strengthen each other in these areas. We are looking forward to exploiting these opportunities, and we congratulate Chelsea on making it to the final of the Champions League."
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay added: "This is an innovative partnership that will see a football club link up with a Formula One team like never before, bringing together two of the world's biggest sports and uniting our fans. We felt that this Swiss team, the fourth-oldest of the existing teams, reflects our own ideals perfectly.
"In a year when Chelsea celebrates 20 seasons as a Premier League team, Sauber does so as a Formula One team. We share many philosophies when it comes to how the respective organisations are run, from the development of young talent to constantly striving for success," Gourlay said.
"This partnership will benefit us both greatly, with the potential to create unique commercial opportunities. It is a shared vision to unite the two most attractive sports in the world. We look forward to working closely with the Sauber F1 Team and wish them the very best of luck for the remainder of the Formula One season."
The deal will also see Sauber's logo on advertising boards at the football club's London stadium, Stamford Bridge. (IANS)
