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Lenovo and Williams

Formula 1 has just established and interesting partnership with Lenovo adding its sponsorship of the Williams F1 team.  Both of these entities are starting from the back of the pack and both are driven to achieve more than just a podium finish.

Williams has not been in the top of Formula One for several years now but appears to have developed a car that could bring it to the winner’s circle.  One advantage is that they have been running Bridgestone tires (tyres) for the past season and now Bridgestone is the exclusive provider for the 2007 Formula One season.  Since cars are literally designed around the tires this could provide Williams with the advantage they need.  Their zero keel front suspension also appears to be the design the majority of F1 teams will adopt this year.

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Lenovo is jumping in to sponsor this team, not just with bags of money, but with technology as well.  Their press releases make it clear that they are aware of how much these teams rely on technology for their competitive edge and Lenovo plans to be a provider of that technology.  This sponsorship is just what Lenovo needs to gain the world wide brand recognition it needs after acquiring the IBM Personal computing business.

This should be an interesting year with Michael Shumacher in retirement.  This opens up the field for all the hungry young guns out there.

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8 responses to “Lenovo and Williams”

  1. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    I’ve been a formula 1 fan for as long as I can remember. My interest only declined the last couple of years of Shummi’s reign, when he would win the championship almost from mid-season. My grandpa was friends with Fangio and Froilan Gonzalez (who gave Ferrari it’s first win on F1)… it just runs in the family.

    Today’s cars can’t possibly run without the aid of computers. Everything from the fuel mix to the pilot’s heart rate is monitored, recorded and studied. Telemetry is one way only (due to regulations), but the data picked up, and the car set-up prior to races and qualifying are done greatly with PCs connected to the data ports on the car. The “good old days” of mechanics covered in grease and “listening” to the engine to fine tune it are a thing that now belongs to history books.

    It should be a technological challenge both for Williams and Lenovo, and I have one more reason to watch the championship closely this year.

    Reply
  2. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    Both Formula 1 and WRC are at the top of my list in terms of motorsports. The trouble is living in the US makes it nearly impossible to see any meaningful coverage of either sports. I loved it when I was working in Scotland and could see the TV coverage as well as read about it in the magazines.

    Sigh – I hope some day the US population will wake up to the fact that in racing the onlything that should be a circle is the tires.

    Reply
  3. Tim Supples Avatar
    Tim Supples

    Agreed Jim. The only thing exciting about Nascar is the crashes. While I don’t watch much organized racing, F1 is much more interesting.

    Reply
  4. Noel Avatar
    Noel

    The only motor racing I used to care about was F1 and long distance (Le Mans, etc). Rallies were a distant 3rd. I lost touch with all over the years, but F1 is still the only one I will try to watch if there’s a chance. It is in the upper-most reaches of any sport where the most drama, innovation and potential for excellence lies.

    NASCAR, and all circle-track events, are auto-racing for couch potatoes. Ditto for drag racing, which aside from the technology needed to get 5000 hp out of an engine, is about as exciting as an ox pull at a county fair. Much like all team sports (to my mind), if you’ve seen one circle-track or drag race, you’ve seen them all. Yawn.

    While roundy-round racing and piloting a AA Fuelie requires some skill, I really don’t think it is much above the level of the average serious car enthusiast–the guy who has been to racing school, does regular track days, maybe has a race-only car. Certainly not better than top amateur road racers. The best guys are very good, but only at a limited number of things–and in cars that are equally limited. One top flight Nextel driver once said he “could take anyone who can fog a mirror and in a day or so have him running at race speed as long as the guy didn’t lift off or have to dodge traffic.”

    In F1, OTOH, you have hugely powerful cars with prodigious capabilities and amazing technology driven on a wide array of tracks, including city streets, rain or shine. They are hard to drive well and that’s why F1 attracts the alpha dogs of racing. To me it’s not just the cars–there’s a reason Formula 1 is called The World Drivers Championship.

    And Jim, since you work for Lenovo, are you finagling your way into the F1 operation?

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  5. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    🙂

    Reply
  6. Tim Supples Avatar
    Tim Supples

    Amen Noel.

    And Jim is not allowed to comment……:D

    Reply
  7. Judy Avatar
    Judy

    Do I hear that evil laugh? Do I see that Cheshire Cat Smile?

    Reply
  8. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    This May I plan to attend this years WRC race here at Argentina, I’ll keep you posted. I had plans to attend Brazil’s F1 grand prix, but it is quite expensive!! Maybe you can handle to go to this year’s Indianapolis F1 grand prix over there 😉

    My only regret is that I didn’t go to any of the F1 grand prixs held in Argentina up until a few years ago, and I don’t think the category will be returning here any time soon.

    Reply

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