Detroit, MI (March 11, 2021) – RECARO Automotive, the leading global automotive performance seating brand, and Williams ESports, part of the world-renowned Williams Racing Formula One™ team, today announced a new strategic partnership. The long-term partnership will see RECARO Automotive and Williams ESports collaborate to help the team’s top esports athletes maintain peak performance while sitting for extended periods of time.
This is the first collaboration between RECARO Automotive and a professional Formula One™ esports team. The partnership validates Williams ESports’ commitment to its drivers and demonstrates its trust in RECARO Automotive’s brand and product quality. RECARO Automotive will supply the Williams ESports driver roster with RECARO Automotive Race and SIM seats.
“Williams Racing has always competed at the cutting edge of Formula One™ racing, just as RECARO Automotive has always been the performance seating pioneer,” said Emil Kreycik, RECARO Automotive President and COO. “This partnership allows us to study the world’s best esports drivers’ usage needs, which can invariably differ from traditional in-vehicle applications. This understanding will help us deliver purposeful design and comfort innovations in recognition of esports drivers’ unique requirements.”
RECARO Automotive and Williams ESports will also collaborate on future initiatives and activities, including the development of a SIM seat. By working closely with Williams ESports, providing the team with purposefully engineered racing seats, RECARO Automotive will become a key player within the global esports SIM community.
“RECARO Automotive is a leading global lifestyle brand in performance seating both on and off the track.” said Steven English, Williams Head of Creative Services. “With industry-leading products, a renowned brand and a thriving community of drivers, RECARO Automotive is a natural partner for Williams as we build our reputation in the world of gaming and esports. Our team and players will benefit from using purposefully engineered seating in pursuit of world championship victories, and we’ll work closely with RECARO Automotive to produce incredible storytelling along the way.”
The Williams ESports program has a roster of more than 25 of the world’s elite drivers, competing in 10 racing games across all three platforms, already reaching audiences in the millions and winning multiple titles across a wide spectrum of races and platforms.
As part of the sponsorship deal, RECARO Automotive and Williams ESports will run several joint social media campaigns to engage with fans of both companies, including giveaways and co-promotional and branding activities.
About RECARO Automotive:
RECARO Automotive has three locations in Europe, the USA and Japan. We design, manufacture, and market complete seats representative of our core competencies of design, ergonomics, robustness, lightweight construction, and first-class workmanship, under the brand name Recaro. RECARO Automotive offers passenger car seats for OEMs, Commercial Vehicle, and the aftermarket, using the brand RECARO® under a license from Recaro Holding. ENRg+™ Performance* cushion foam is patent pending.
About Williams ESports:
Williams is one of the world’s leading Formula One™ teams. It exists purely to race in the top echelon of motor racing, where it has been winning grands prix for more than three decades. The Williams name has been synonymous with top-level motorsport since the 1970s, and has won 16 FIA Formula One™ World Championship titles – nine for constructors and seven for drivers. It remains the second most successful constructor in F1 history.
Williams ESports was launched in 2018, as the team made its first entry into virtual racing, a burgeoning industry providing both new and existing fans with opportunities to engage in a diverse and accessible arena. The Williams ESports programme has a roster of more than 25 of the world’s elite drivers, competing in 10 racing games across all three platforms, already reaching audiences in the millions and winning multiple titles.
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