Ferrari have taken on Bitdefender as a new partner following the suspension of their relationship with Russian cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky.
Bitdefender was founded in 2001 in the capital of Romania – Bucharest – by entrepreneur, Florin Talpes.
It has been a somewhat eventful year for the Scuderia regarding sponsorship, with their controversial partnership with Mission Winnow ending following three years of scrutiny.
The “Change Lab” is related to owner Philip Morris, who has a Tobacco brand, and sponsorships of that nature, and those that bare relation, have been banned from appearing in European Union countries since 2005.
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The FIA then pledged to do the same across global motorsport events in 2006, but because Mission Winnow itself is not a tobacco brand, it was still allowed to be used in non-EU races.
Ferrari and Morris cut ties at the end of last year and, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Scuderia’s partnership with Kaspersky was put in review.
Russian sponsorships were banned from appearing in worldwide FIA sanctioned events after Vladimir Putin started the war, so the Italian side put that relationship in review, and paused it.
They have now signed with the Romanian firm, and team principal, Mattia Binotto, is delighted to bring a trusted company onboard.
“We are pleased to embark on this new partnership with Bitdefender, with whom we share values such as the highest level of technological efficiency, striving for excellence in performance and a culture of security,” he said in a team statement.
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“It’s a pleasure to be able to count on a Team Partner such as Bitdefender, an innovative and accomplished company, already highly regarded for its professionalism and reliability.”
Ferrari come into the Singapore Grand Prix weekend 139 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Standings, while Charles Leclerc trails Max Verstappen by 116.
The Dutchman is set to wrap up his second title in one of the next two rounds in Singapore and Japan.