Aston Martin has a new title sponsor. The Formula 1 team not only finds a valuable financier in Aramco, but also becomes part of a campaign intended to improve Saudi Arabia’s bad image. Sebastian Vettel should therefore have some critical questions.
“The clock is ticking,” writes Sebastian Vettel on his own website, “we must now find solutions that help our planet”. The 34-year-old likes to speak emphatically about his commitment to environmental protection and against the climate crisis, which he sees as the “biggest challenge that humanity has faced since it existed”. A challenge that “nobody can run away from” because if nothing changes in the long term, “the future doesn’t look good”.
The most recent sponsorship contract of his Formula 1 team should now ensure that Vettel will be asked about these words even more often than before. Because Aston Martin’s new financier is the Saudi Arabian global corporation Aramco. One in 2019 in the UK “Guardians” According to a published study, Aramco has been “responsible for 4.38 percent of global CO2 emissions since 1965,” more than any other company. In addition to Apple, the majority state-owned oil production company is considered one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Aston Martin proudly presents the deal with Aramco, but also little concrete in terms of term and financial details. The press release speaks of a “long-term strategic partnership” which, in addition to technical cooperation, also includes sponsorship and brand usage rights. However, since the Saudi Arabian oil producer and exporter will appear alongside the tech company Cognizant in the official team name – Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team – a significant sum of money can be assumed for the operation of such a racing team.
It’s not just about promoting sports
In addition to the sponsorship and the associated large-scale presentation of the company logo on the car – the picture accompanying the press release shows the Aramco logo in large letters on top of the engine cover – the Saudi Arabian conglomerate is also stepping in as a technical partner and supplies Aston Martin with petrol and lubricants. The newly formed cooperation is also committed to the development of “high-efficiency internal combustion engines, sustainable fuels, advanced lubricants and non-metallic components for cars”.
Aramco is thus expanding its involvement in Formula 1. The oil company has been a global strategic partner of the racing series since March 2020 and appears extensively with its logo on the routes and as the name sponsor of several Grands Prix. This is also the reason why a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was held for the first time in November 2021. How quickly this was agreed is shown by the fact that the high-speed line in Jeddah could only be completed a few days before the first training session. Now follows for Aramco the first major partnership with a team.
Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll said he was “excited to welcome an incredible partner of Aramco’s caliber,” according to the press release. According to numerous critics, this “format” also includes the accusation that Saudi Arabia wants to do “sports washing” with such sponsorship – the contract with Formula 1 is said to last ten years and 800 million euros. In short, this means: It’s less about promoting the sport and more about improving your own bad image worldwide.
Vettel will have to find answers
Because the list of allegations against the kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is long. Amnesty International speaks of an “extremely worrying human rights record”. The organization registered 184 executions in 2019, some of them even carried out publicly. Saudi Arabia is far from having freedom of speech, freedom of religion or equal rights, minorities are oppressed and homosexuality is a punishable offense.
In October 2018, Saudi regime critic Jamal Khashoggi disappeared while visiting the embassy in Istanbul. After days of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted to killing the journalist. According to official information from Turkey and the USA, a 15-strong commando was waiting at the representation, murdered him and made his body disappear.
In a global comparison, women’s rights are also in poor shape; women have only been allowed to drive since June 2018. Sebastian Vettel, in turn, used this in early December last year to organize a karting event exclusively for women under the title “Race For Women” on the sidelines of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The four-time world champion does not have a say in Aston Martin’s press release, but his progressive attitudes to environmental protection, the climate crisis and social progress are widely known. In the new season he will have to answer questions about how these can be reconciled with his employer’s new major sponsor.