Another Flip-Flop Brand Joins Formula 1 as Sahara Force India Sponsor

Sahara Force India has taken a page off of the McLaren F1 Team's marketing playbook as "the original flip-flop brand" Havaianas has been tapped as a sponsor, with the brand's logo on the ‘halo’ cockpit protection equipment of its Force India VJM11 race car, making it look like the strap of its iconic footwear.

"We are delighted to bring Havaianas into Formula One," said Force India Chief Operations Officer Otmar Szafnauer. "Where better than the halo to carry the famous Havaianas logo? It’s a savvy move by this loved Brazilian brand, which will bring a touch of the beach to the paddock throughout the season.  We have always been an adventurous team with our marketing efforts, and after introducing the pink livery in 2017 we hope this partnership will appeal to all fun-loving Formula One fans in 2018."

The Havaianas flip-flop branding will appear at selected races throughout year starting from this weekend's Australian Grand Prix. It will also be present at several European races and most significantly at the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo--the home of Alpargatas, the parent company of Havaianas.

"We want to bring our fun and cool vibe to Formula One and the opportunity presented by Force India really grabbed our attention," shared Alpargatas CEO Márcio Utsch. "At Havaianas, we pride ourselves on listening to the fans of our brand and over the last few months we have seen more and more people associating our flips-flops with the new halo across social media.  Together with Force India we have come up with an eye-catching design on the car’s halo, which was the logical place to locate our flip-flop strap. We are looking forward to engaging with Formula One fans at races around the world throughout the year, so stay tuned for some exciting developments."