Official: Martini joins Williams

For a few weeks, the rumor had been growing. Leaks from various sources reported it. Photos taken during shooting days helped reinforce the conviction of the various interlocutors.

One week before the start of the season, Williams has thus formalized this new partnership, which results in a radical change in the livery of the cars that will be driven by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas. This mainly represents a valuable source of income for the team, which hit rock bottom in terms of performance during the 2013 season.

This new season must be one of rebirth, both on the track and behind the scenes. Many changes have marked the last few months: the arrival of Pat Symonds as technical director, Felipe Massa, Rob Smedley as performance manager, not to mention the switch to the Mercedes engine, which seems to be the most advanced at the moment.

Before signing with Williams, Martini had considered partnering again with Porsche, which is making a major comeback in endurance racing with Mark Webber. The Italian brand ultimately decided to invest in F1, where it has previously been present with several teams: Tecno in 1972 and 1973, Brabham from 1975 to 1977, and Lotus in 1979. However, it is primarily through its presence with Lancia in rally racing that the brand is well-known in motorsport circles.

Andy Gibson, Bacardi’s marketing director, stated: “The decision to partner with Williams was natural for us. It offers an unparalleled opportunity for the Martini brand to connect with consumers through one of their life passions, Formula 1. Martini will give consumers a taste of speed, bringing Italian style and glamour back to the track and beyond. Williams Martini Racing provides a powerful and integrated marketing platform, offering dynamic opportunities that will strengthen the Martini brand.”

If the promising sports prospects that emerged during winter testing were to materialize, Martini could achieve a superb financial operation since it likely secured a much lower price than if it had signed with a top team from last season. The brand could then find itself in the position of Virgin, which was long the only sponsor of Brawn GP in 2009 when no one expected the former Honda team to be capable of winning the title!

Minor communication hiccup

However well-prepared, any communication operation can still cause minor hiccups. Thus, in the press release sent to all accredited media, including yours truly, it stated: « As a registered user of the McLaren Media Centre you may use your pre-existing details to login and access content from the Williams Martini Racing Media Centre. » Have there been transfers between the marketing departments of the two teams?

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr