LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 19, 2024--
Williams Racing and Duracell are thrilled to announce a multi-year extension to their powerful Formula 1 partnership on the eve of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241119512112/en/
Duracell, a true household name as the world’s leading battery manufacturer, was one of the first global brands to join Williams’ comeback mission when they joined forces with the team for a North American partnership ahead of the 2022 season.
Since then the alliance has grown into a global partnership known for its eye-catching activations such as the incorporation of the iconic copper and black battery into the Williams airbox, supported by captivating fan engagement on social media, innovative retail activations and multi-market TV ad campaigns.
The Duracell airbox will continue into 2025 when the FW47 will be driven by Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz – one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid. Duracell’s logo and instantly-recognisable colours will remain featured on the drivers’ helmet visors, and the team’s devices will benefit from Duracell’s unique Power Boost ingredients.
The announcement hails a new and exciting era for the partnership of two icons driven by performance and cutting-edge technology, united by a determination to think differently and never stop pushing forward. It comes on the eve of the Las Vegas GP, where Williams is turning the DRS flaps on Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto’s FW46 rear wings into a Duracell battery and changing the colour of the DRS button to iconic copper to tie in with Duracell’s sponsorship of the race’s DRS zone.
Duracell also becomes the third long-term partner in recent weeks to extend its relationship with Williams, joining Kraken and Gulf Oil International in another vote of confidence for the team’s ongoing transformation in pursuit of championship success.
James Bower, Commercial Director, Williams Racing: “Williams are proud to have Duracell powering our comeback journey into 2025 and beyond as we continue building long-lasting relationships with industry-leading brands that share our vision and values. The partnership has delivered memorable moments and iconic branding that has become a fan favourite on our cars, and we look forward to the next chapter as we continue building momentum.”
Ramón Velutini, Global CMO, Duracell: “We are excited to extend our partnership with Williams Racing as we continue to support their journey towards getting back on top of the grid. Our shared passion for performance and relentless pursuit of improvement makes Williams Racing a perfect fit for Duracell. Both Williams Racing and Duracell are ‘Built Different,’ embodying the belief that ‘good enough’ is never enough. I’m particularly thrilled that our exclusive ‘Power Boost Ingredients™’ technology will be powering their devices, both on and off the track.”
About Williams Racing
For almost 50 years, Williams Racing has been at the forefront of one of the fastest sports on the planet, being one of the top three most successful teams in history competing in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. With an almost unrivalled heritage of engineering and racing F1 cars and unforgettable eras that demonstrate it is a force to be reckoned with, the British squad boasts 16 F1 World Championship titles to its name. Since its foundation in 1977 by the eminent, late Sir Frank Williams and engineering pioneer Sir Patrick Head, the team has won nine Constructors’ Championships, in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. Its roll call of drivers is legendary, with its seven Drivers’ Championship trophies being lifted by true icons of the sport: Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. The team has made history before and is out to make it again with a long-term mission to evolve and return to the front of the grid.
About Duracell
Started in the 1920s, the Duracell brand and company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE-BRK.A, BRK.B) in 2016 and has grown to be the leader in the primary battery market in North America. The iconic Duracell brand is known the world over. Their products serve as the heart of devices that keep people connected, protect their families, entertain them, and simplify their increasingly mobile lifestyles. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a $250B holding company owning subsidiaries that engage in diverse business activities. Visit www.duracell.com for more information; follow us on X.com/Duracell & Instagram.com/Duracell and like us on Facebook.com/Duracell.
Duracell and Williams Racing announce multi-year extension to Formula 1 partnership (Photo: Business Wire)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine fired six American-supplied longer-range missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region, Moscow said Tuesday, in what would be Kyiv's first use of the weapons inside Russia in 1,000 days of war.
The reported use of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, came as Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons, opening the door to a potential nuclear response by Moscow to even a conventional attack by any nation supported by a nuclear power. That could include Ukrainian attacks backed by the U.S.
A Telegram channel affiliated with the Ukrainian military posted a video Tuesday that it says shows a U.S.-supplied ATACMS missile being fired from an undisclosed location in Ukraine. The Associated Press could not independently verify the date and location the video was filmed.
The developments marked a worrying new escalation in the conflict that has repeatedly ratcheted up international tensions. U.S. officials recently expressed dismay at Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops to help it fight Ukraine, while Moscow seethed when Washington eased restrictions on the ATACMS in recent days.
The 1,000-day mark has magnified scrutiny of how the war is unfolding and how it might end, amid signs that a turning point may be coming with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump entering the White House in about two months’ time. Trump has pledged to swiftly end the war and has criticized the amount the U.S. has spent on supporting Ukraine.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine can sustain the war for a long time, analysts say, though Russia is able to keep going for longer due to its vaster resources.
Ukraine’s forces are under severe Russian pressure on the battlefield at places on the about 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line where its army is stretched thin. Ukrainian civilians, meanwhile, have repeatedly been clobbered by Russian drones and missiles.
On Tuesday, Ukraine claimed it hit a military weapons depot in Russia's Bryansk region in the middle of the night, though it didn't specify what weapons it used. The Ukrainian General Staff said that multiple explosions and detonations were heard in the targeted area, around Karachev.
In a statement carried by Russian news agencies, the Russian Defense Ministry said the military shot down five ATACMS missiles and damaged one more. The fragments fell on the territory of an unspecified military facility, the ministry said. The falling debris sparked a fire, but didn’t cause any damage or casualties, it said.
Neither side's claims could be independently verified.
Karachev is roughly 115 kilometers (70 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border. Ukraine in the course of the war has been able to reach much deeper into the vast country -- but with drones rather than missiles. For instance, Russian officials have reported intercepting Ukrainian drones over Moscow, which is about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the border and most recently Izhevsk, a city about 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) from the frontier.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials reported a third Russian strike in as many days on a residential area in Ukraine killed at least 12 people, including a child.
The strike by a Shahed drone in the northern Sumy region late Monday hit a dormitory of an educational facility in the town of Hlukhiv and wounded 11 others, including two children, authorities said, adding that more people could be trapped under the rubble.
On Sunday, a Russian ballistic missile with cluster munitions struck a residential area of Sumy in northern Ukraine, killing 11 people and wounding 84 others. On Monday, a Russian missile barrage sparked apartment fires in the southern port of Odesa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 43.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the series of aerial strikes proved that Putin wasn't interested in ending the war.
“Each new attack by Russia only confirms Putin’s true intentions. He wants the war to continue. Talks about peace are not interesting to him. We must force Russia to a just peace by force,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy told European Union lawmakers in a speech via video link that Russia has deployed about 11,000 North Korean troops along Ukraine’s borders and that the number could swell to 100,000.
He appeared in person at the Ukrainian parliament, where he presented what he called a “resilience plan” to dig in against the relentless Russian onslaught. He said he expects pivotal moments to occur in the war next year.
The plan outlines new approaches to army management, including the creation of a military ombudsman position and a new system of handling military contracts.
There are no plans to lower the mobilization age from the current 25, even though Ukraine is short-handed on the front line, especially in infantry.
Next year, Ukraine plans to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones and aims to manufacture 3,000 long-range missiles, Zelenskyy said, reducing its dependence on Western military support.
A fuller version of the plan will be presented next month, he said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Western countries are debating further help for Ukraine — “more aid, more money we have to make available to them, particularly now that the North Koreans have come on board,” he said in Brussels.
Meanwhile, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola led a special plenary session on Ukraine marking “one thousand days of terror, suffering and unimaginable loss. One thousand days of courage, resilience and unbreakable spirits.”
“Your people are an inspiration to all who value freedom around the world,” she told Zelenskyy.
Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Nov. 19, 2024, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Nov. 19, 2024, rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building destroyed by a Russian strike in Hlukhiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Press Service of The President of Ukraine on Nov. 19, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service of The President of Ukraine via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Nov. 19, 2024, rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building destroyed by a Russian strike in Hlukhiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Nov. 19, 2024, rescue workers and volunteers clear the rubble of a residential building destroyed by a Russian strike in Hlukhiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
The graphic above shows the long-range U.S. ATACMS missile system components. The U.S. will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied longer-range weapons to conduct strikes inside Russian territory. (AP Digital Embed)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Nov. 19, 2024, rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building destroyed by a Russian strike in Hlukhiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Nov. 19, 2024, rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building destroyed by a Russian strike in Hlukhiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Nov. 19, 2024, rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building destroyed by a Russian strike in Hlukhiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Nov. 19, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Nov. 19, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to the national anthem before his speech at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
