Force India has announced a season-long deal which will see its halo protection device, whose shape has indeed been likened to flip-flops, sponsored by Havaianas.

In reaching the deal, it becomes the second F1 team after McLaren to have its halo sponsored by a flip-flop manufacturer.

The Havaianas branding will be featured on Force India’s halo at various races during the season, most prominently at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which is the home race of Havaianas parent company Alpargatas.

“We are delighted to bring Havaianas into Formula 1. Where better than the halo to carry the famous Havaianas logo? 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 1 fans in 2018,” Force India chief operating officer Otmas Szafnauer said.

Alpargatas chief executive Marcio Utsch added to this by saying that fans of Havaianas thought of the idea: “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 flip-flops with the new halo across social media.”

The first round of the 2018 Formula One World Championship starts this weekend in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.