Williams F1 tie up with Kazakh investmment firm

Williams Formula 1 team has signed an agreement with Kazakh investment firm TAK Group that will see the Kazakhstan capital, Astana, promoted as part of the arrangement.

The Astana name will be positioned on the SIS vane and outer nose struts on the Williams-Renault FW35 from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards in a move that will provide both sporting and tourism benefits to the city.

Since 1997, Astana has been the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan and is a UNESCO World City. Situated on a bank of the Ishim River, it has become one of the largest business centres in the region and will be the site of Expo 2017 which focuses on future technologies and our 'energy future'. Ambitious infrastructure projects are also seeing the city emerge as one of the region's leading tourist destinations.

Frank Williams, founder and team principal of Williams, said: "It's with great pleasure that we welcome TAK Group as a new partner of the team and look forward to working closely with them to achieve their marketing ambitions."