ROKiT have extended their title sponsorship deal with Williams Racing to five years from three, thus extending the deal through the 2023 Formula 1 season.
ROKiT, a global telecommunications company, replaced Martini as the title sponsor of the Williams Racing Formula 1 team ahead of the 2019 Formula 1 season, and they did so on a three-year contract.
Now, amid lots of talk about the reported severed contract between Haas and title sponsor Rich Energy that evidently stemmed from Williams beating Haas in the Austrian Grand Prix, ROKiT have upped their commitment to the Grove-based team despite the team’s recent abundance of struggles.
After originally being slated to serve as the team’s title sponsor through the 2021 season, ROKiT have extended their three-year contract to a five-year contract and are now set to do so through the 2023 season.
Here is what Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams had to say about this extension, according to Autosport.
"“This is a natural partnership based on shared values of innovation, engineering excellence and trust. ROKiT joined the team at a challenging time and it means a great deal to us that they believe in our vision and are committed to helping us achieve it. I’ve personally enjoyed working with the team at ROKiT and look forward to continuing this work in the years ahead.”"
Here is what a ROKiT owner Jonathan Kendrick had to say about the matter, according to Autosport.
"“I’m happy with my brand recognition and what it’s done for me. I sponsored the team to get my brand out there, and it’s got my brand out there big time, all over the world. It’s even better than I expected. Our phones are going into 4000 Walmart stores in the US, and in every car park ROKiT Williams has a banner.“In India ROKiT Williams is going to be in every one of our wifi cities. So there’s masses of potential for Williams to leverage their brand in a way that they’ve never done before. Obviously nobody’s happy with finishing last. But I’ve been to factory, I know what they are capable of, I’ve seen the incredible engineers they’ve got, and it’s just a hiccup.“It’s cyclical, isn’t it? After Ferrari won with Jody Scheckter in 1979, it took them 20 years to win again. I know what they’ve got planned, I’ve seen what they’re doing. We’ve got to put the finances in place, which we are, and they will be back. I really believe that.”"
More from Formula One
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
- Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
- Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
- Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points
ROKiT Williams Racing are still seeking their first points of the 2019 season, but more than likely, they won’t end up collecting any. Neither one of their two drivers, rookie George Russell and Robert Kubica, has finished a race in the top 14 this season, much less the top 10, and they are the only two drivers who have not recorded at least one top 10 finish this season.
The one highlight to Williams’ first season with ROKiT as their title sponsor, aside of their regularly fast pit stops, is the fact that they are one of only three teams that have not had any of their drivers forced to retire from any of the season’s first nine races.
The British Grand Prix, ROKiT Williams Racing’s home Formula 1 race, is scheduled to take place at Silverstone Circuit in England, United Kingdom this Sunday, July 14, and it is set to be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning at 9:10 a.m. ET.