Williams sends a clear warning to McLaren management

Claire Williams has warned McLaren management that the Woking-based outfit will have a fight on its hands if it attempts to lure away its sponsors.

McLaren executive Zak Brown underlined in the past the difficulty in securing new commercial partnerships following the team's massive downfall in performance in the past three years.

It's new engine partnership with Renault has boosted McLaren's prospects however and marketing guru Brown is determined to capitalise on its promising new dawn.

McLaren recently announced an sponsorship agreement with Brazil's oil giant Petrobras, while Williams revealed that title sponsor Martini would be leaving the team at the end of 2018.

• Williams: F1 needs financial controls to safeguard future

The legendary brand will depart F1 altogether but reports have emerged that McLaren may have sought to snatch other sponsors from Williams' pool of partners.

"I thought McLaren and Williams had agreements that we would never do that? Frank and Ron certainly did," Williams said last week in Barcelona.

"This is a tough business, it’s each to their own, isn’t it? From my perspective we need to do a good enough job to make sure partners don’t go to another team. That’s our responsibility."

Indeed, Williams' deputy team principal concedes that ultimately the Grove-based outfit must simply perform and deliver on expectations to keep its sponsors from jumping ship.

"If they end up at another team personally I feel that’s because we haven’t done a good enough job to retain them and that’s our responsibility to do that," she said.

"Zak can try but he’ll have a fight on his hands. I don’t give sponsors up easily. They’re our lifeblood."

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