'King of Beers' Builds Upon Global Sports Marketing Leadership with First Formula One Deal

Budweiser, the world's best-selling beer and the BMW WilliamsF1 Team, a global leader in Formula One, today announced the "King of Beers" will serve as an "official sponsor" of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. The multi-year agreement is Budweiser's first sponsorship in Formula One and builds upon the brand's international sports marketing portfolio.

As part of the agreement, the Budweiser logo will be featured on race cars driven by two of the sport's hottest drivers - Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher - as well as on driver and team uniforms. The brand also will have rights to use the drivers' images, team logo and team cars in advertising and sales promotion initiatives.

The sponsorship announcement comes on the heels of two consecutive one-two finishes for Schumacher and Montoya at the European Grand Prix on June 29 and the French Grand Prix on July 6. Budweiser has inaugurated its sponsorship of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team at the British Grand Prix in the United Kingdom on July 20.

"Our sponsorship of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team enables Budweiser to reach a global audience of racing fans by leveraging the resources and marketing expertise of two industry leaders," said Tony Ponturo, vice president global media and sports marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "For more than 25 years, WilliamsF1 has been synonymous with the best in Formula One racing".

On the announcement of this major new partnership, BMW WilliamsF1 Team Principal Frank Williams said, "Budweiser is one of the world's most admired and identifiable brands, and of course has an impressive history as a patron of motor racing. I represent the whole team in saying that we feel extremely privileged to form a commercial alliance with a brand of this stature and importance."

Budweiser is brewed by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., and is available in more than 80 countries including Malta around the world. Budweiser is the "official beer" of The F.A. Premier League, Manchester United and Chelsea FC; and Official Partner of Manchester City and also has been "official beer" of the FIFA World Cup(tm) since 1986. In addition to its U.S. motorsports sponsorships, Budweiser also serves as "official beer" of Major League Soccer and each of its 12 teams, the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball, and 27 of the 32 National Football League (NFL) teams.

Budweiser sponsors a variety of motorsports teams, and in the past 14 years, Bud Racing teams have produced 36 national and world championships.

WilliamsF1 is one of the world's most successful Formula One teams. Formed in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, the company has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles and won 112 Grands Prix. The company today employs around 500 personnel on a 40-acre technology campus outside Oxford, UK. In 2000, the company entered a major partnership with BMW, and together, the Anglo-German BMW WilliamsF1 Team has won eight Grands Prix.

Budweiser is imported and distributed in Malta by Wands Limited. "This great news is welcomed by the local F1 followers and Malta stands to benefit from this association," said Goeffrey Busuttil, Budweiser Brand Manager.