As Williams currently sits atop the F1 midfield (Go Alex! Go Carlos! Go James!), I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the team’s brief, but glorious Compaq sponsorship.
On January 24th, 2000, Williams announced a sponsorship deal with computer manufacturer Compaq. “More than just a logo on the BMW Williams F1 car,” the partnership promised use of Compaq tech in Williams’ data analysis and engineering.
This was a pretty big deal!
“Compaq’s support represents the first non-tobacco industry principal sponsorship of a championship pedigree team in the 50 year history of Formula One.”
From the press release
It was a brief, but prosperous partnership; Williams ended in 3rd place in the Constructors’ Championship in 2001 and 2nd place in 2002. The sponsorship ended in 2002 when HP merged with Compaq (HP continued to sponsor Williams after the merger).
While it’s a bummer the partnership didn’t last longer, I’m grateful to know that these two legendary companies came together for a moment in time, however brief.
Leave a comment