SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO'S (STR) new sponsorship deal with Spanish oil company CEPSA and Canada’s Nova Chemicals could be the precursor to a wholesale livery change for the F1 team in 2012.
The new deal will see CEPSA branding on the Toro Rosso cars from this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, consolidating the influence of Abu-Dhabi-owned International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), which owns a significant stake in CEPSA and controls Nova Chemicals (acquired by IPIC in 2009).
IPIC is also the majority owner of Aabar investments, a stakeholder in Falcon Private Bank, which signed a sponsorship deal with Toro Rosso earlier this year – leaving many observers to believe that CEPSA will not only take over full title sponsorship of the team in 2012, but that STR will be sold off to IPIC.
According to one motorsports insider who preferred not to be named, Red Bull would not oppose a bid from the Gulf for STR.
“Toro Rosso has been subject to [takeover] speculation every year – although perhaps with less intensity last year – because it no longer makes sense for [Red Bull Owner] Dietrich Mateschitz to own both teams,” the source said.
“He can ‘academy’ his drivers without a second team. For example, Daniel Ricciardo, who is the next big hope to replace Mark Webber, is racing for HRT so Red Bull can simply place drivers on preferred terms in other teams.”
With further speculation that a new base for STR is under construction in the Gulf region, a new sponsorship order at the team looks increasingly likely.