PUMA(R) Teams Up With Renault F1 Team

PUMA(R) signs supplier contract with the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Herzogenaurach

Germany (ots) - PUMA(R) AG and the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team today announced that they have signed a multi-year contract. PUMA AG will become the official supplier of teamwear, team footwear, including pit crew, and fitness clothing to the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team. In addition, PUMA will also supply teamwear, footwear and fitness clothing to the drivers and trainers of the Renault Driver Development programme (RDD) and Human Performance Center (HPC) in Enstone, UK, which supports and trains talented young drivers.

Renault Managing Director Flavio Briatore commented: "We are pleased to welcome Puma on board as a partner of the Renault F1 Team. Their young, sporting image is a perfect match for Renault in Formula 1, and the quality of their products unsurpassed. We look forward to a successful season together."

"I am very pleased with our new partnership with the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team," says Martin Gänsler, Vice Chairman of PUMA AG. "With ties to Italy, England, Spain, Japan and of course France, the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team perfectly typifies the internationalism of Formula One. With a long proud history in F1, the team has the experience and know-how that it takes to thrive in grand prix racing. We consider Renault a great fit for us as, like PUMA, they nicely combine sport performance with fashion flair."

After re-entering Formula One under the full works Renault banner in 2002, the Renault F1 Team impressed with immediate success, finishing fourth in the championship in its first year, repeating the feat in 2003, and enjoying its first victory with Fernando Alonso at the Hungarian Grand Prix this past August.

PUMA(R) performance racing shoes were first used by various drivers and teams in the 1970s and early 1980s. And since 1998, PUMA's motorsport division has gradually assembled an impressive portfolio of sponsorships. In the 2004 season, PUMA will be the official supplier of racing gear in several motorsport disciplines such as Formula One, F3000, motocross, World Rally Championship, etc.

PUMA(R) is the global athletic brand that successfully fuses influences from sport, lifestyle and fashion. PUMA's unique industry perspective delivers the unexpected in sportlifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories, through technical innovation and revolutionary design. Established in Herzogenaurach, Germany in 1948, PUMA distributes products in over 80 countries.