ORLEN debuts in F1

Daniel Obajtek, CEO and President of the Management Board of PKN ORLEN said, “Cooperation between PKN ORLEN and Williams Martini Racing starts a new era for motorsports in Poland, as well as building the global reach of our brand. It is worth remembering that ORLEN Group has assets in five countries in Europe and North America today. Our products are available in over 90 countries around the world. This means that we are looking for global communication channels to establish an international position. Involvement in Formula One racing is one of the most effective ways to promote our brand through sports sponsorship, and we are delighted to be entering the sport with Williams. With the team having just announced Robert Kubica as a race driver for 2019, the only Pole to have participated in Formula One, we want to accompany him on his journey back to the top.”

As part of the sponsor package, the PKN ORLEN logo will appear on the cars, including the rear spoiler, nose, intake system and each of side mirrors. In addition, the company's logo will be seen on the chin portion of the drivers helmet, the drivers and mechanics suits and the staff's clothing.

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, commented, “We are pleased to announce that PKN ORLEN will partner Williams Martini Racing for the 2019 season. Williams stands for technology, innovation and top-class engineering, and these synergies with PKN ORLEN will help drive our partnership forward.”

Robert Kubica added: “It is great news to hear about the partnership between PKN Orlen and Williams Martini Racing for 2019. I am looking forward to being back in the F1 grid next season and to be sharing the experience with PKN Orlen, and all the fans back both in Poland and around the world.”

PKN ORLEN is a leading player on the fuels and energy markets, and the largest company in Central and Eastern Europe, listed in prestigious global rankings such as Fortune Global 500,  Platts TOP250 and Thompson Reuters TOP100.

The Group owns state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure capable of processing more than 35 million tonnes of various crude oil types per annum, marketing its products through the CEE region’s largest network of nearly 2,800 modern service stations. PKN ORLEN’s offering includes over 50 top-quality petrochemical and refining products sold in more than 90 countries around the world on 6 continents. 60 percent of the company's revenues are generated outside the country. In the area of mining, the Concern has its own oil and gas resources base (2P), which at the end of 2017 amounted to approximately 153 million boe.
For the last few years, ORLEN has been recognized as the most valuable brand in Poland, valued at PLN 4.7 billion, PKN ORLEN is also the only company in the region that has been awarded the prestigious title of The Most Ethical Company for the fifth time in a row by the American Ethisphere Institute.

Robert Kubica The first ever Pole to start in Formula One, where he made his debut during the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. He also finished on the podium at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. Winner of the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in 2007, elected Best Polish Athlete in 2008, founder of the RK Kart Team. In the years 2013-2016 he competed in Rally World Championships, and in the debut season, at the wheel of the Citroen DS3 RRC, he became world class WRC 2 champion.

Robert Kubica started his motorsport career driving karts at the age of six. Initially, he trained on the asphalt square next to the speedway stadium Wanda Kraków. In 1994 he obtained a karting license. The first official start was the competition in Poznań, which he won. During three years of racing in the country, he won the title of champion in various age categories, six times in total.

At the age of thirteen he went to Italy to develop talent there. In the debut round of the junior championship of Italy, he won "pole position" and took second place twice. After four rounds, he signed a contract with the CRG team. In 1998 he became the junior Italian champion and European runner-up, he also won the Monaco Kart Cup. In the following season he was the winner of the Elf Masters, he also won again in Monaco. He won the titles of the International Champion of Germany and Italy.

The first kilometers as a test driver of the F1 team he passed during tests at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona on January 25, 2006. He made 92 laps, and his best achieved time was 1 minute 18.01 seconds.

Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited's core competencies are the design and development of racing cars to compete in the Formula One World Championship. As one of the world's leading Formula One teams, the company has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles since its foundation in 1977. Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors' Championship in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. The remaining seven titles were won in the Drivers' Championship with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited continues to develop by adapting its intellectual property and rapid development skills in projects outside of Formula One under the trading name Williams Advanced Engineering.