EADS replaces Force India with Caterham

The aerospace group EADS was a partner of Force India between 2009 and 2011. Nevertheless, it decided to change its approach. That is why it has just signed a new agreement with Caterham. Tony Fernandes’ aerospace activities may not be unrelated to this.

Indeed, before embarking on the adventure of a F1 team, Tony Fernandes is primarily a businessman who successfully turned his airline, AirAsia, into an undeniable success, even amidst a global economic crisis. The contrast is therefore stark between the success of this company and the downfall currently experienced by Kingfisher, the airline owned by Vijay Mallya, the owner of Force India.

In June 2011, AirAsia placed the largest order in the history of civil aviation with 200 A320 Neo, valued at more than fifteen billion dollars at list prices. Necessarily, such an order (to which an additional hundred new aircraft could be added at the next Berlin Air Show) created very important ties between the businessman and the European group.

This is being realized today with the massive arrival of the conglomerate and its star subsidiary, Airbus. The aircraft manufacturer will thus take the most prominent position on the engine cover of the single-seaters driven by Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov starting from this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. Previously, this spot was occupied only by the logo of Tony Fernandes’ football club, the Queen Park Rangers. To emphasize the importance of this announcement, it was commented on by Tom Enders, the new CEO of EADS: « We are proud to be associated with Caterham F1 Team and hope that this will strengthen a very successful relationship between EADS and the Caterham group as a whole. With the range of knowledge and experience available to us both at EADS and in Tony’s various automotive, technological, and consulting branches, I am confident that there will be many new opportunities to explore in the months and years to come to demonstrate the potential of our two companies. »

Nevertheless, this new agreement will lead to an amusing coexistence of brands on the same single-seater. Indeed, EADS and Airbus will now coexist with Russian Helicopters since the Russian helicopter manufacturer has recently decided to financially support Vitaly Petrov. Yet, EADS, through its Eurocopter subsidiary, is one of the world’s leading helicopter producers…

In any case, it is highly likely that this partnership between the two companies will also result in collaborations on common interests, as Tony Fernandes suggests: « Currently, Caterham Composites and Caterham Technology and Innovation are involved in programs that utilize the specialized skills of both companies in composite design and manufacturing, including a revolutionary lightweight aircraft seat and an entertainment system that will demonstrate the benefits of composite materials on a global scale. »

With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr