Richard Branson and his Virgin Company should be in F1!

I have always thought that Richard Branson - with his flamboyant personality, resources, and many name brand companies - would be a natural fit for F1. He would definately bring even more flair and excitement to the sport. With his presence and stature I don't know why someone hasn't approached him about it - or if they have - why he hasn't considered becoming involved in the sport in some capacity. Can you imagine a F1 car with VIRGIN splashed all over it! He has so many companies and so many brands that would benefit by the exposure. Add to that the fact that he is one of the most respected businessmen in the world. Maybe he is just too busy.

 

From what I can tell, he is probably the least busy Billionaire. (work wise that is)

 

Or a major sponsor for that matter.

 

That's gotta be the greatest idea I've heard. Virgin in F1...Brilliant.
I'm gonna call him

 

I would guess that Branson has found other far less expensive ways to big-note his brand and himself, and I would venture that F1 exposure would cost more money than he needs to spend to reach perhaps a smallish segment of the demographic that Virgin targets.

Cheers
Kevin

 

Branson would be a thrill.

I don't care whether that would help his cause in the end or not, but he is such a wild character that would certainly help the sterile world of F1 it has become under Bernie.

 

Well - a spare place has just become available on the grid (Jaguar...).

But (if it matters), Branson isn't a car guy. He'd be more likely to be involved in Powerboats I'd have thought..

John

 

Branson is more into boats, but he's also smart. If F1 makes good business sense, then he'll get into F1. Bottom line. His branding has a youthful slant to it, and right now, I seriously doubt that he sees an enormous investment in F1 as something that would benefit Virgin's marketing goals. I mentioned in the other thread that his name has been thrown about quite a bit in the F1 rumour mill, but I'd bet most anything that at the very least he's sitting on his hands until the Concorde agreement is laid to rest.

 

Branson and Concorde in the same sentence? Wait a minute! There is a thought...

 

I spoke with Richard two years ago at Monaco. We briefly chatted about racing - he's a big fan. He and the EasyJet guy (Spiros?) were talking about F1 dollars. Their comments were pretty funny. I think both of those guys report to a tightly-run board and can't really play in the rarified atmosphere of F1, very few can. I did a sponsorship proposal for Williams years ago and you would not even fathom the costs and detail. When I raised money for a race-winning IndyCar team, they had about 20 full-time staff. Williams had 400!

 

Sir Richard..... I like the guy! I've stayed on Necker Island and anyone who has a pad like that has got to be cool. I'm pretty sure any Concorde deal is dead as all the birdies have homes and no one to maintain them. As for F1, I think it's right down his ally but too costly. Further, he'd want to be the driver. I can see him and Fosset (sp?) racing down pit lane........

 

If I'm not mistaken, some companies came out a couple of years ago to state that they would not take part in F-1 as long as the tobacco sponsorship deals existed.

I believe Virgin and Microsoft were among these companies.

BHW