The Swiss watch brand, IWC Schaffhausen has extended the sponsorship of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team for another year.
The collaboration between the two organisations began in 2013 and will now extend further.
As announced at the official launch of the team’s new W13 car on Friday, IWC will maintain a prominent presence on the livery, driver gloves, overalls, and team kit as the team’s ‘Official Engineering Partner.’
The sponsorship also includes activation rights at signature Grands Prix throughout the season, beginning with the Miami Grand Prix in May in the United States, with additional campaigns planned throughout the 2022 race calendar.
Meanwhile, IWC has acquired new rights as a sponsor of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team. The virtual racing team is the reigning champion of the F1 Esports Pro Series and is based in a custom-built facility at the F1 team’s Brackley headquarters.
Finally, as part of the agreement, IWC will collaborate with the team to define and deliver a “meaningful contribution” to Ignite, a joint charitable initiative established by the Mercedes team and driver Lewis Hamilton to improve diversity and inclusion in motorsport.
Commenting on this aspect of the tie-up, Franziska Gsell, chief marketing officer of IWC Schaffhausen, said, “IWC Schaffhausen and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team are not only united by a shared passion for engineering and technical excellence but also by the pursuit of diversity and responsibility in our industries. In this light, the extension of our collaboration to include a contribution to Ignite is an entirely logical step.”
IWC Schaffhausen has joined the Mercedes F1 team sponsorship portfolio, which is led by the title partner, Petronas and Ineos as the team’s principal partner. UBS, TeamViewer, CrowdStrike, FTX, Hewlett Packard, Marriott Bonvoy, AMD, Monster Energy, Pure Storage, Tommy Hilfiger, and TIBC are among the team partners.