Williams will be losing a big sponsor at the end of the season, with Martini having officially decided not to extend their partnership with the team. The young age of the drivers has no impact on the company’s decision to withdraw from the team.
Martini were previously discussing a partnership extension with the team, but no deal was reached. Martini also discussed a sponsorship deal with other teams on the grid according to reports, but no deal appears to be reached at this point. It is believed that the company will simply not have a sponsorship in Formula One from 2018 onward.
A Bacardi Limited spokesperson told the Racing Clothesline in a statement:
“We can confirm that at the end of this year, MARTINI will conclude its successful title sponsorship of the Williams MARTINI Racing team which we have supported for five seasons.
Racing is in our DNA and we don’t know what the future will bring, but what we can tell you is that MARTINI will continue to support the team and sport this season as we celebrate MARTINI Racing’s 50th Anniversary and hopefully a great year for Williams.
The age of the current driver line up did not affect our decision, MARTINI had a five-season contract with the Williams team and the deal is coming to its natural end.”
Because Martini is an alcoholic brand, it was believed that Martini has a “25 rule” in their contract, stating that at least one of the team’s drivers need to be 25 years old in order to be featuring in global marketing material. The new Williams lineup does not meet that requirement, but Martini insists that this is not the reason for ending their partnership with the team.
