On the eve of the inaugural Korean Grand Prix in Mokpo, Vodafone announced they have expanded and extended their $75 million a year sponsorship with McLaren-Mercedes Formula 1 team until the end of the year 2013.

According to an article over on Sportspromedia by David Cushman, the terms of the new Vodafone/McLaren-Mercedes deal, the team will continue to be called Vodafone McLaren Mercedes as Vodafone will now be the “total communications partner” for the F1 team rather then the previous “mobile partner.”

Via a statement, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team said the point of the new deal was to “bring Vodafone customers closer to the passion of Formula One through its services, events and experiences’ and to ‘help support the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team’s on-track success through greater technical integration of Vodafone’s total communications services.”

However, neither McLaren nor Vodafone have offered any insight into the financial arrangements of the new sponsorship deal, but it is rumoured to be along the same lines as the previous agreement.

The Chief Commercial Officer for Vodafone, Morten Lundal speaking of the renewal of the sponsorship said, “We’ve had great success in using the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes partnership to engage our customers in our key markets, and we’re committed to new and exciting platforms which will allow customers to get even closer to the action.”