Williams Esports, the esports branch of British Formula One team Williams Racing, has announced a partnership with battery manufacturer Duracell.
As a result of the deal, the manufacturer will become the title partner of its eNASCAR team.
The deal marks Duracell’s first foray into esports and the company will work with Williams across ‘high-profile marketing initiatives’. In addition, the team’s cars will run a livery combining the blue of Williams and the copper of the Duracell battery. Details on the marketing activations were not disclosed.
Williams Esports currently fields teams across a range of sim racing titles including the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, Gran Turismo and Assetto Corsa Competizione, the latter is through a collaboration with Munster Gaming.
Duracell becomes the ninth partner of Williams Esports, joining the likes of peripherals brand Razer, sim racing hardware company Fanatec and custom computer manufacturer Chillblast on the team’s partnership roster.
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series sees 40 drivers compete over a 20-race schedule for a share of $300,000 (~£251,769) in prize money. Alongside Williams, North American esports organisation XSET and Spacesation Gaming also field two drivers.
Steven English, Director of Esports at Williams, spoke on the deal: “We’re delighted to see such a strong brand as Duracell show their support for esports.”
“We’re proud that our prominence in the fast-growing world of sim racing can help Duracell to connect with more fans in this demographic, particularly in North America. We have two extremely talented drivers who are excited to represent Duracell and are striving to take it to victory lane.”
