WOKING, UK -- Jan. 13, 2005 ---- Under a multi-year agreement with Team McLaren Mercedes, AT&T today announced it has joined the Formula One racing team as the exclusive corporate sponsor for voice and data networking services. AT&T will provide its advanced range of communications solutions to the team on a global basis.
“Formula One racing is in a league of its own as a prestigious global sports event,” said AT&T Chief Marketing Officer Kathleen Flaherty. “I can’t think of a better way than through this sponsorship to complement AT&T’s global brand and showcase our leading-edge technology.”
The AT&T branding appeared for the first time earlier today on drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, as well as the nosecone of the car as the team continued its intensive 2005-testing program at the Jerez circuit in Spain.
Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group commented, “In welcoming an organization of the stature of AT&T into our Partner portfolio, we are demonstrating a resounding level of confidence in the Team McLaren Mercedes team and our sport of Formula One. At Team McLaren Mercedes, we strive for innovation, technological excellence and quality, values that have seen AT&T push boundaries and pioneer at the very leading edge of new technologies for more than 125 years. We are proud to have established our Partnership with AT&T.”
Advanced communications technology is critical to the success of an F1 racing team. AT&T’s technology, services and networking solutions will ensure that the vast amounts of data generated during racing, practice and test sessions can be accessed by the team’s technical and research and development staff in real time from anywhere in the world, allowing the team to optimize performance of their cars. AT&T will also support innovative Voice over IP (VoIP) communications for the team and Internet connectivity to the team’s trackside facilities.
AT&T’s Global Network will connect to the Team McLaren Mercedes team’s headquarters in Woking, UK with other significant locations in the UK and Europe, including Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, Germany, and the engine manufacturing facility at Mercedes-Ilmor in Brixworth, UK.
AT&T will also support connectivity at F1 Grand Prix race locations around the world for the team, managing data communications during race events and at F1 testing sessions.
AT&T will have access to the extensive Formula One hospitality program offered by the team. The AT&T brand will appear on both the Team McLaren Mercedes Formula One cars, as well as drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya and the pit crew.
Following a photocall with Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya at today’s test in Jerez, copy-right free photographs are available by contacting +44 (0) 1483 261 900 or media@mclaren.com.
About McLaren
McLaren Racing, the company behind the Team McLaren Mercedes team, was formed in September 1980 as a result of a merger between Team McLaren and Project Four, a British company owned by Ron Dennis, now Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group. McLaren has won eleven Formula One Drivers’ Championships and eight Formula One Constructors’ Championships including the 1998 and 1999 Drivers’ World Championship. McLaren has competed in Formula One since 1966 and has proven to be one of the most successful Formula One teams of all time with 138 Grands Prix wins. To date, McLaren has raced in 576 Grands Prix. The McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England, the McLaren Group’s new headquarters has been developed on a 50-hectare site. The facility includes design studios, laboratories, research and testing facilities, electronics development, machine shops and production facilities for the Team McLaren Mercedes Formula One cars and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. www.mclaren.com
About AT&T
For more than 125 years, AT&T (NYSE 'T') has been known for unparalleled quality and reliability in communications. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company is a global leader in local, long distance, Internet and transaction-based voice and data services.
