Latifi was dropped by Williams on the finish of final yr after spending three seasons with the group, throughout which era numerous his sponsors featured prominently on the automobile, together with Lavazza and Sofina.
Williams unveiled the livery for its new FW45 automobile at its Grove base on Monday, in addition to asserting the arrival of a brand new companion within the type of iconic model Gulf Oil.
James Bower, the industrial director of Williams, stated the group was in a “a number of yr industrial plan of how we rebuild” and denied the influence of dropping Latifi’s sponsors was as huge as advised.
“There is a notion about misplaced income from current adjustments; there is a notion, however the actuality is barely totally different,” stated Bower.
“We’re launching numerous new companions as we go into the season as effectively. So I feel we’re in a extra strong place than the group has been in for for numerous years.
“We’re formidable and aggressive when it comes to how we’re available in the market as effectively, and the way we’re investing in constructing the Williams model.
“And naturally, having Gulf as a part of a industrial companion portfolio for that journey is admittedly thrilling.”
Williams FW45 livery element
Photograph by: Williams
Along with Gulf, Williams additionally unveiled numerous different new partnerships as a part of Monday’s announcement, together with agreements with impartial monetary companies firm Stephens, US beer model Michelob Extremely, and buying and selling firm PureStream.
The group is poised for additional consideration in america this yr by advantage of its American driver, Logan Sargeant, who graduates from Formulation 2.
Requested in regards to the elevated curiosity from American sponsors, Bower stated Williams had already been “investing in numerous areas of our proposition for partnerships”, significantly in america.
“We even have an workplace in America, in New York,” stated Bower. “We have now a big fan engagement group primarily based out of that workplace, which is led by the previous SVP of fan engagement from the NFL, with numerous American sports activities advertising and marketing specialists in that group.
“We’re investing in fan activations across the US races and belongings that we had in market. So when these issues come collectively, then with Logan, with Jamie Chadwick on the academy as effectively, competing in Indy NXT, it is constructing a form of centre of gravity that’s serving to us commercially.”