JULY 4, 2011

Williams-Renault partnership revived for 2012

Williams has signed a two-year engine supply deal with Renault for the remainder of the V8 F1 regulation period.

Williams, which has used Cosworth power for the last two seasons, will join Renault, Red Bull Racing and Lotus as users of the 2.4-litre Renault V8 and there is an option in place to continue the partnership into F1's new V6 turbo era that will begin in 2014.

The previous partnership between the two companies, which began in 1989 and lasted nine years, yielded four drivers' championships, five constructors' titles and 63 race wins.

"Renault remains in Formula One to achieve success in a cost efficient way and the partnership with Williams has great potential to add to the results we have notched up over recent years with our other partner teams," said Renault Sport F1 president Bernard Rey. "Williams has recently taken several important steps, both commercially and technically, to update its operations and we feel that this partnership is another important step in its rigorous plan.

"From 2012 onwards, the fact that we will have four partners puts us ahead of other engine manufacturers in terms of market share, but off track it will also enable us to further use Formula One as a marketing platform for our parent company to try to bring a bit of this association to our fans and our customers worldwide. Of course there's also a great pride in reviving the Williams-Renault name."

Sir Frank Williams added: "We are delighted and excited by our new partnership with Renault. This reunites the F1 team with a leading car manufacturer and complements our new relationship with Jaguar. At the same time, we are grateful to Cosworth: they have been a fair and reliable partner both on and off the track for the past two years and we look forward to working with them across our business in the future."