Toro Rosso & Sauber Sign New Partners for 2013 F1 Season

F1 teams, Toro Rosso and Sauber have revealed new sponsor partnerships ahead of the new season.

Toro Rosso has renewed its agreement with OMP Racing for another year, ensuring that the Italian company will continue to supply safety equipment and technical clothing for its drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, and the rest of the team

The agreement, however, also provides for the possibility of installing new super-light seatbelts inside the cockpit of the new STR8, which will be officially presented on 4 February. The seatbelts have been produced by OMP using Dyneema, self-proclaimed as ‘the world’s strongest fibre’, after two years of study and research.

Ricciardo and Vergne, meanwhile, will be kitted out with racesuits, boots, underwear and gloves made by OMP, as will other team personnel. 

“We are pleased to continue our relationship with OMP,” team manager Gianfranco Fantuzzi commented, “Over the years, we have developed an excellent relationship and OMP is always attentive to our requests, supplying items to our specific needs to the highest standards, while always meeting the tight deadlines that are part of working in the F1 environment. And, of course, as an Italian team, we appreciate not only the excellent quality but also the Italian style element of everything we get from OMP.”

Sauber, meanwhile, has signed DEKRA as an ‘official partner’, building on the company’s existing relationship with new recruit Nico Hulkenberg. 

“It’s gratifying to be able to combine the interests of all three parties in this way,” team CEO Monisha Kaltenborn said. “In DEKRA, the team welcomes a partner that has been a firm fixture of the F1 scene for many years. We keenly anticipate this new partnership and look forward to a successful season.”