Williams confirm AT&T as new title sponsor.

WilliamsF1 has announced a 'multi-year agreement' that will see AT&T become the team's new title sponsor.

07.10.2006 Suzuka, Japan, WilliamsF1 Team, FW28 Cosworth, Front wing - Formula 1 World Championship,
07.10.2006 Suzuka, Japan, WilliamsF1 Team, FW28 Cosworth, Front wing -…
© XPB.CC

WilliamsF1 has announced a 'multi-year agreement' that will see AT&T become the team's new title sponsor.

Starting from the 2007 season, the outfit will be known as the 'AT&T WilliamsF1 Team'. Although it was not confirmed how long the deal will be for, it is still a considerable boost for the Grove-based squad, especially following the split with BMW at the end of last year. It will also put them in a better position to try and regain their glory days, which has seen the squad notch up 113 F1 wins and 16 World Championship titles, including seven drivers and nine constructors' championships.

Furthermore along with the news that they will switch to Toyota V8 engines in 2007, it all bodes well for the future and their 2007 drivers' - Alex Wurz and Nico Rosberg.

Team boss, Sir Frank Williams is delighted with the deal: "It is a great privilege for WilliamsF1 to be an ambassador for a brand of the global size, scale and reputation of AT&T," he stated. "It is our firm commitment to represent their interests to the very best of our ability on the race track and assist with the communication of their service offer that we, too, will have the significant benefit of being able to utilise."

Mark Keiffer, AT&T chief marketing officer, believes that the partnership will be of great benefit to both companies: "Formula 1 provides a unique platform for a global brand like AT&T. The shared values of AT&T and Williams -- a dedication to innovation, speed, integrity and commitment to absolute excellence -- are highly complementary. We expect that the relationship between Williams and AT&T will be a key global marketing platform for our enterprise division," he added.

A statement from Williams explained some of the benefits they will deprive from the deal:

"AT&T aims to help the team gain a competitive advantage through the application of communications technology and will support the team with its advanced portfolio of Internet Protocol (IP)-based communications services. The relationship with the team will provide AT&T with a global showcase for its products and services and will contribute to the performance and success of the AT&T WilliamsF1 Team. Real-time, robust and secure communications are vital for a Formula 1 team and the sport is at the forefront of technology.

"During a race, the AT&T WilliamsF1 Team will constantly analyze real-time data in an attempt to improve performance by fractions of a second. During any given race, the teams will transmit more than 15GB of data thousands of miles for instant analysis by off-site race engineers.

"AT&T will support the team with the deployment of an Internet-based Virtual Private Network (VPN) to support data applications and voice communications, mobility solutions for the team, and advanced hosting and security services. AT&T will also connect the team's headquarters near Oxford in the U.K. with key partners and with grand prix race locations around the world for the team, managing data communications during race events and at F1 testing sessions."

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