Deputy team principal Claire Williams has denied claims that title sponsor Martini are leaving the team because their driver requirements were not met.

Martini want at least one Williams driver to be over the age of 25 so that Williams can carry the brand name at every grand prix over the course of the season.

But, after Felipe Massa left the team at the end of last season, Williams have replaced him with 22-year-old Sergey Sirotkin, who will partner the 19-year-old Lance Stroll.

Yet Williams has said that the requirement was by no means a strict rule and not the reason why Martini will end their major sponsorship deal at the end of the season.