Williams to reveal Martini livery in Bahrain

Williams will launch its new Martini livery in Bahrain.

Earlier, with the iconic Italian drinks brand set to return to formula one in 2014, it was believed the once-great British team would only officially unveil its new title sponsor and much-anticipated Martini livery ahead of the season opener in Australia.

But, actually, Williams - having tested its new Mercedes-powered FW36 in all-blue colours so far - said only that it would launch its race livery in time "for" Australia, not necessarily "in" Australia.

Indeed, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that the official wraps will come off the new partnership "during the second week of testing in Bahrain", set to take place in the island Kingdom late next week.

The end of pre-season running in Bahrain will then start a mere two-week countdown before the red lights go out on the Melbourne grid.

Correspondent Tobias Gruner said the ’Williams Martini Racing’ 2014 livery will include the iconic white, blue and red Martini stripe, made famous by the brand’s involvement over decades in F1, Le Mans and rally.

An idea of what the 2014 Williams might look like can be seen at: http://img1.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Martini-Racing-Look-Retro-F1-fotoshowBigImage-8792576f-755494.jpg