Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMcLaren

McLaren bracing for revenue 'damage' - Boullier

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier admits there will be "damage" to the team's revenues if it doesn't show signs of progress soon.

Amid the difficulties being faced by Honda upon its return to F1, McLaren has scored just 17 points so far this season and currently sits ninth in the constructors' championship. Having finished fifth last year, Boullier says the team will be hit financially by its final position but also by the impact a lack of improvement will have on sponsorship deals.

"The brand itself I am not sure has been damaged yet," Boullier said. "There is such a strong record from McLaren for many years I don't think there is a direct damage in terms of the brand itself.

"In terms of sales and revenues, yes, if we can't finish in the same position we finished last year there is going to be a direct loss in terms of revenue because that's how the business is driven in this sport. And if we can't find and bring in new sponsors there is obviously a damage.

"We can't quantify it in millions or whatever but it will be more difficult to bring some sponsors in if we don't show more of being a team on the move and get in the points quickly."

In a report published earlier this year, McLaren was predicted to have third largest budget in F1, totalling €465million (£340m) of which €144.5m (£105m) comes from sponsorship, €216.5m (£158m) from partners and €104m (£76m) from FOM.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.