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hands were shaken before Quartano invited their guests into the yacht’s saloon where he offered them a drink. Small talk ensued for several minutes before the Chinese visitors were invited to sit in the nest of elegant art deco armchairs. Monaco’s harbour, yachts, hillside, and morning sun were visible through the picture windows all around them.
    ‘Dr Chen,’ said Quartano running a hand through his mane of silver hair. ‘We are honoured that Mandarin Telecom is prepared to consider sponsoring the Ptarmigan Formula One Team. Mr Callom has prepared a presentation to indicate the benefits we feel this would bring your company. Before he elaborates, I’d very much like to offer you a few preliminary observations of my own.’
    Dr Chen took a sip of his orange juice and gave a perfunctory nod.
    ‘Mandarin Telecom is exceptionally well placed to break out of China and establish a global presence. Your mobile phone technology is leading-edge, while your distinctive style – embodied in your eye-catching handset design – resonates well with younger consumers all over the world. China chic, we would call it. We’ve conducted extensive market testing which we’re keen to show you,’ said Quartano as he looked over his shoulder as the cue to one of his aides. A weighty, bound document, emblazoned with Mandarin Telecom and Ptarmigan logos, was soon handed forward. Quartano took it and smiled his thanks.
    Dr Chen’s attention appeared to lock on to the research document, seeming surprised that Quartech should have done so much work – unprompted – in advance. The effect was not lost on Quartano.
    ‘Formula One fits your brand and markets – almost perfectly,’he went on, deliberately placing the document in clear view on the armrest between them. ‘Sponsoring Ptarmigan will give you immediate access to the global television audience – put conservatively at 400 million – who watch each race. And, with twenty Grands Prix now on the calendar, the geographic spread of the season would give you a significant advertizing presence in every key consumer market around the world.’
    Dr Chen placed his glass on a table decorated with heavy marquetry beside him. ‘Mr Quartano,’ replied Dr Chen. ‘I’m impressed by your appreciation of our marketing needs. However … The 400 million you mention is appealing, hence our interest. But that is for Formula One as a whole. The question we have to answer is why we should sponsor the Ptarmigan Team, and not one of the others?’
    Quartano smiled warmly and added with conviction: ‘You should sponsor Ptarmigan, Dr Chen – precisely,’ he said deliberately pausing for effect – ‘because you were … impressed by our appreciation of your marketing needs . We do offer something different. Quartech acquired Ptarmigan for business purposes. We see enormous crossover benefits of the team’s technological innovation to our other companies – and, most importantly, we see huge value in the marketing reach of this sport. We understand – we would say better than any of the teams – that you need to see a substantial commercial return on any sponsorship money you might invest.’
    ‘Ptarmigan was bankrupt at the beginning of this year, Mr Quartano,’ offered Dr Chen – verging on a challenge. ‘It suffered financial failure, collapsing with sizeable debts.’
    ‘Quite so. Except all that happened before Quartech bought the team. Since then I have replaced the management, bringing in Tahm, here, as one of the world’s most respected team bosses in motor racing. I’ve written off the debt you mentioned and provided the team with a substantial budget – £100 million this year. I’ve built Ptarmigan a new factory in Oxfordshire. I have made all Quartech’s leading-edge technology and management expertise available to the team. We’ve signed a four-year deal with Benbecular, to supplyPtarmigan with engines. And, with the recruitment of Remy Sabatino as our number one