Who will the new sponsor be?

French Formula One team Renault, in the wake of losing its current sponsor, Dutch financial services company ING by the end this season, is in talks with an Indian multinational for sponsorship. ING decided to discontinue its association with Renault as a cost cutting measure and the team is now actively looking for another title sponsor.

PTI, an Indian newswire agency, said a possible visit by Fernando Alonso for a roadshow to India this year would be indicative of Renault’s desire to widen its fan base in the populous country, apart from infusing fresh funds for the upcoming season.

Even though speculation is pretty rife as might be involved but prime targets are likely to include Reliance Industries, a diversified corporation involved in oil and petrochemicals, clothing and food. There is also ONGC, the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Bharti Airtel, India’s largest cellular service provider; and the high technology companies Wipro, Infosys, Satyam and HCL Technologies.