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Williams insists it is “not actively” looking for a title sponsor and has the luxury to “decline offers” that do not fit with the Formula 1 team’s brand.
Williams unveiled its redesigned navy blue 2022 livery on a physical showcar on Tuesday ahead of a planned shakedown of its real FW44 later on the same day at Silverstone.
There is a noticeable absence of sponsors on areas of the car such as the sidepods and the front and rear wings, but Williams team boss Jost Capito said he believes the team can afford to wait for sponsors that believe in the “Williams brand”.
The outfit was bought by American investment firm Dorilton Capital in 2020, having faced financial uncertainty in the final years of the Williams family owning the team.
ROKiT replaced Martini as Williams’s title sponsor ahead of the 2019 season but suddenly split with the team prior to the rescheduled 2020 campaign finally getting underway, despite Williams having revealed a ROKiT 2020 livery during pre-season testing that never raced.
“Not actively,” said Capito, when asked if his team was looking for a title sponsor. “We have redefined our brand. We have very strict brand guidelines and every sponsor who comes in has to fit to our brand strategy and guidelines.
“So Dorilton gives us a free hand in that. We can decline offers because we don’t believe the brand fits with the Williams brand.”
One of Williams’s key off-season deals was with alkaline battery producer Duracell, which Williams believes is the first brand to demonstrate that it believes in the future of the team.
“To finalise a relationship with Duracell doesn’t happen overnight,” Capito added.
“We created a good relationship during discussions and negotiations. I think it shows that big global companies believe not only in F1 but also Williams. Also, Netflix [and its Drive To Survive series] helps in the US.
“For global companies, there’s no doubt. But we see in negotiations with sponsors people believe in the Williams story, they believe we are in a position to move up the grid and a couple of companies are really interested to join us on that journey and be part of it.
“Duracell is the first step, the first company to show they believe in Williams’s future.”
Capito would not comment on Volkswagen’s rumoured F1 entry and partnership with Williams in the future.
It is likely that any potential sponsorship brands would also need to fit with the ethos and brand of VW, should it choose to enter F1 and partner with Williams.
