Grove to launch F1 sponsor

Frank Williams' Oxfordshire-based F1 team will unveil a new sponsor on Thursday. The press is invited to a news conference in London, where – it is expected – the wraps will come off a $15.5m (per year) 'Royal Bank of Scotland' deal. Asked directly about the RBS speculation, a member at Grove replied: ''I obviously cannot reveal (that) at this stage.'' Williams' representative then said the FW27 and the 2005 driver line-up, including a race team-mate for Mark Webber, will be launched at Valencia (Spain) on the last day of January. [Editor's Note: See Hot News page for another big Williams sponsorship announcement.]