Piaggio Aero Inustries has announced a sponsorship deal with reigning Formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher of Ferrari. Schumacher’s helmet visor will now carry Piaggio’s “P” logo, and will be aimed particularly at bringing attention to the P180 Avanti.

Piaggio press officer Tonino Bettanini believes that the deal will have a dual role promoting Piaggio on the world market. Schumacher is known throughout Europe and other continents as the leading figure in F1, whereas Ferrari is established in the US as a top range sports car. Ferrari will lend Piaggio a stamp of quality, while continuing the ‘made in Italy’ theme, Piaggio believes. Schumacher said: “For me, Piaggio Aero Industries manages to perfectly encapsulate Italian style and the most advanced technology.”

Piaggio is aware that it needs to maintain its independence and individuality. Bettanini said: “We want to be careful that this does not become a suffocating relationship, which could lead to intra-company cannibalisation”. Piaggio will now hope to be associated not only with Ferrari, but Formula 1 in general. Other links include ex-F1 driver Thierry Boutsen, who is the official exclusive dealer for France, Monte Carlo and Belgium, marketing and selling the P180. “We hope this new partnership will bring the aircraft to the attention of business aviation clients, who in general we find difficult to target”. Bettanini is unsure when the sponsorship will start bringing direct results, although he did say that it had raised the profile of Piaggio, and that all P180s scheduled for production in 2001 had already been sold.

Since Ferrari Spa vice president, Piero Ferrari, became president of Piaggio Aero Industries in 1999, the companies have forged a close alliance. Last year, Piaggio initiated the sponsorship by supplying Ferrari with two P180s, which has now been supplemented by an undisclosed fee paid to Schumacher. Bettanini denies that Pierro Ferrari’s appointment at Piaggio was directly linked to the deal, but admitted that it led to more favourable bargaining conditions.

After recently surviving receivership, Bettanini said: “Piaggio is now adopting a completely different strategy, focusing on the private market rather than the fragmented pre-crisis market”.

The Piaggio-Ferrari relationship appears to have brought mixed fortunes for the drivers. When

initial links were made last year, Eddie Irvine triumphed for Ferrari (albeit controversially), in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Yet on May 13 this year, Schumacher came an uncharacteristic second behind David Coulthard, while carrying the Piaggio logo for the first time on his visor.