Motormouth: Does McLaren’s Maximuscle deal open the door for Coca-Cola McLaren Mercedes in 2013?

In recent weeks, rumours have been flying round the internet of Vodafone quitting their sponsorship deal with McLaren Mercedes next year, due, in part, to the worsening economic climate in Europe. Of course, McLaren would need a new title sponsor to plug the gap, and a reported link has been forged with a rather unlikely brand: Coca-Cola. The drinks manufacturer, which is one of the most popular in the world, has recently been warming to the idea of F1 sponsorship, especially as competitors, such as Red Bull and Monster [which, coincidentally, Coca-Cola are looking to purchase], are already well represented in the sport. 

Early on, stumbling blocks for a Coca-Cola/McLaren deal came in the form of GlaxoSmithKline, who hold a highly important technical partnership with the Woking based outfit. GSK manufacture Lucozade, a brand of energy drink that comes in carbonated, non-carbonated, and isotonic forms, and originally chose for Lucozade logos to be placed on the Mclaren cars throughout the first few Grand Prix of the season. Of course, as Coca-Cola make a brand of isotonic sports drink called Powerade, it would not have made sense to enter into an agreement with a team that was committed to displaying the logos and brand of a competitor.

Recently, however, GlaxoSmithKline have opted to use McLaren as a platform to advertise Maximuscle, their brand of protein and bodybuilding products, and have decided that this arrangement is to continue until the end of the 2012 Formula One season. This move by GSK, could allow McLaren, in effect, to make all parties happy: they could make a deal with Coca-Cola in order to become Coca-Cola McLaren Mercedes in 2013, whilst ensuring that their technical partnership with GSK continues, and making sure that the logos of competing brands within the same markets do not appear on the car at the same time.

Of course, this is all speculation, but I’m sure that deal would create a bit of "fizz" that McLaren would be very grateful for.