10/12/2009
NEWS STORY
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It is claimed that a majority of the teams are keen on holding a joint launch of their 2010 cars, with Valencia looking to be the most likely venue.
Members of the teams' alliance, the Formula One Constructors' Association, are due to discuss the matter in Monaco later today, with most keen on holding what they believe could be a major media event almost two months before the season gets underway.
With testing due to get underway on Monday February 1, it is claimed that the joint launch could take place on Saturday January 30, with the Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias in the city of Valencia being mooted as the most likely venue.
A joint launch would certainly be media friendly, saving journalists the time and expense of hopping from one venue to another as has become the tradition, while fans would certainly welcome the event if it were to be televised.
On the other hand, a launch is a good time for sponsors to make full use of their association with their team of choice and coverage of as many as thirteen teams on one day is going to make this difficult especially as much of the attention will focus on the traditional 'big guns'.
The desire to cut costs is another incentive with many teams opting for low-key unveilings in recent years, a far cry from some of the grandiose events of the past such as Benetton's launch in a Sicilian amphitheatre and McLaren, complete with the Spice Girls, at the Ally Pally.
Then again, since most of the cars look the same, courtesy of Max Mosley, and many of the 2010 changes won't be as visibly obvious, perhaps a joint launch is the perfect idea especially in this new (bland) corporate age.