Monday January 24th, 2000

Williams announced today thay Compaq will be the principal sponsor of the BMW WilliamsF1 team.

Compaq Computer Corporation is the second largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier of computer systems. A Fortune Global 100 company, Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions and services, including industry-leading enterprise computer solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, enterprise and network storage solutions, commercial desktop and portable products and consumer PCs. The company is an industry leader in environmentally-friendly programmes and business practices, and its products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of authorised Compaq partners.

"Compaq's support represents the first non-tobacco industry principal sponsorship of a championship pedigree team in the 50 year history of Formula One," WilliamsF1 said in a statement.

No financial details were given.

"As the computing industry pacesetter, sponsorship of the BMW WilliamsF1 team represents an excellent marketing opportunity for Compaq," said Gabriele Zedlmayer, vice president of marketing communications for Compaq. "This sponsorship enables us to leverage a year-long series of races and establish a strong brand presence with an annual worldwide television audience of more than 50 billion people."

"Harnessing technology to achieve competitive advantage - both on the track and off - holds the key to future success in Formula One," said team boss Frank Williams.

Other WilliamsF1 sponsors include global management and technology consulting firm Andersen Consulting, semiconductor giant Intel Corp, telecommunications company Nortel Networks Corp and news and information provider Reuters Plc.