Mercedes has renewed its sponsorship agreement with long-term partner Petronas, which will see the Malaysian oil giant staying with the Anglo-German outfit until at least the end of the current decade.
Petronas has acted as Mercedes’ primary sponsor since the manufacturer returned to Formula 1 full-time in 2010, and on Saturday an extension to that deal was announced.
“There is a renewed vitality and a new level of energy in the sport this year," commented Petronas President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin.
“With new rules and regulations for this year, and many new things for the fans, the sport is increasing in terms of audience and that's great.
“And for all of us at Petronas, we know that the technical contribution will be even more important this year because of the stiff competition from our rivals.”
Rumours circulated that the exit of Malaysia from the Formula 1 calendar at the end of 2017 could trigger Petronas’ departure from Mercedes, and also the team's exit from the sport as predicted by Channel 4's Eddie Jordan, but this has now been dismissed.
"Our involvement in motorsports actually began in 1995, which is a few years before the first race in Sepang in 1999,” he said.
"And we intend to stay the course. The partnership has given us very positive results for many years and I am pleased to announce the extension of the sponsorship contract with the team."
