08/01/2020
NEWS STORY
Food manufacturer, Sofina Foods, founded by Michael Latifi in 2006, is to expand its partnership with Williams.
The Canadian food manufacturer, which acquired Lilydale in £75m deal in 2010, and Santa Maria Foods ULC, an importer and distributor of specialty Italian brands, in 2012, first joined the Grove team as a partner for the 2019 F1 season.
This year Sofina has boosted its commitment to the team, and its name will feature on the back of the FW43's rear wing from the season-opening race in Australia.
As well as on-car branding, Sofina will feature throughout the Williams garage and hospitality areas, on teamwear and the race suits of George Russell and Nicholas Latifi.
Established in Ontario in 1995, Sofina's vision is to become the most successful food company in the world. It has grown rapidly and now has 5,000 employees across 20 facilities throughout Canada.
"We are pleased to announce that Sofina has continued their partnership with the team for a second year," said Claire Williams. "Sofina's involvement in the sport has been extremely valuable to their long-term vision, and we are committed to helping them achieve their goals. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with them and we look forward to this continuing in the year ahead."
"Having a presence in Formula One has brought great value to our company," added Brent Quartermain, Sofina Foods Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, "so it was a logical step to build on that success by increasing our involvement with Williams for the 2020 season.
"Formula One is a sport that has mass global appeal and is perfectly suited to our international growth ambitions. We're looking forward to supporting our friends at ROKiT Williams Racing and aiming for a successful season both on and off the track."
In May 2018, Michael Latifi, father of 2020 Williams driver, Nicholas, bought a 10% stake in McLaren for £203m, however, from the outset, the Woking outfit was clear that the young racer's future has played no part in the deal.
The Sofina announcement comes at a time, having already lost Robert Kubica's sponsor, Orlen, Williams is understood to have also lost Unilever-owned Rexona, believed to be the team's second most significant sponsor after ROKit. Indeed, the Symantec logo is also missing from the team's latest press release.