This is the new livery that Williams will run in the upcoming 2026 Formula 1 world championship featuring a vibrant glossy blue and a new sponsor with Barclays.
The team announced that the British bank corporation would be its “official banking partner”, while Komatsu, a Japanese construction equipment manufacturer, has been sponsoring the outfit since the 2024 season.
“2026 is the next step on the path back towards the top for Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we enter a new era for the sport, and we are excited about the season ahead,” team principal James Vowles said.
“We have a great driver line-up, some fantastic new partners, an ever-growing fanbase and want to build on the success we tasted last year, but we are not naïve about the challenge ahead of us. Nobody quite knows what will happen at the first race but we are looking forward to finding out, and hope our fans will love cheering us on with this great new livery.”
The team’s journey “back towards the top” got off to a tricky start as Williams missed the Barcelona pre-season test, making its FW48 the only 2026 car yet to appear publicly – which remains the case as this is just a livery reveal.
The team owned up to “delays in the FW48 programme”, but Vowles subsequently insisted Williams “could have made it to Barcelona”, though he admitted this would have put the outfit on the back foot in terms of spare parts.
The team missed out in running an early shakedown test at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona due to manufacturing issues but will take part in the following Bahrain pre-season test in preparation for the new season.
Hopefully this new car will get decent laps at Bahrain after missing Barcelona. Despite the recent testing set back, the Mercedes power unit did run meaning it has recorded some solid reliability thanks to the other teams especially the main factory outfit.
“We have the power unit provided by Mercedes, the gearbox provided by Mercedes, so the learning that they’re going through this week in Barcelona will carry over into us, into Bahrain,” Vowles said last week.
“It’s not that I want to be resting on their hard work, but also it is worth stating that that is still an advantage for us that falls out of it, or a disadvantage that’s negated. I’m confident with six days in Bahrain, we will run through the programme that we need to and it’s why we’re on the VTT [Virtual Test Track] now.
“What I wanted to do is to make sure from the outset in Bahrain, we have a reliable car ready to go so that we’re not sitting there doing what a lot of individuals and teams are trying their best to do in Barcelona, but not leave the garage. We’ve got to be there ready to go.”
Official website:
https://www.williamsf1.com/articles/5363520c-1e22-4d62-a568-7f1c7b6ff529/atlassian-williams-f1-team-reveals-bold-new-racing-livery-for-2026
https://www.williamsf1.com/videos/ca274980-0659-4e0a-8e5c-e30c6b908aa9/atlassian-williams-f1-team-fw48-livery?autoplay=1
News stories:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/first-look-williams-show-off-their-new-livery-for-2026-f1-season.4tY1qBa2lWI35hqxV6AH1g
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/gallery-check-out-every-angle-of-williams-new-livery-for-their-2026-f1-car.5I6ZzmDjZPrMpl9UByTQAV
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/williams-unveils-2026-f1-car-livery/10794926/
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/williams-reveals-2026-livery-for-late-f1-car/
https://www.racefans.net/2026/02/03/first-pictures-williams-presents-its-new-look-for-the-2026-f1-season/
Williams team principal James Vowles says he is “not concerned at all” about missing the first pre-season test last week.
Delays in the production of their new car made Williams the only team not to make it to the test at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Vowles acknowledged that missing the test was “a deficit” because Williams had not been able to gain experience of the complexities of energy management in the new engines being introduced this year.
Rivals have said that on-track running is invaluable in learning how to manage the new power-units. These have three times more power in the electrical part of the hybrid engines this year and are energy starved as a result.
But Vowles said he was “confident we’re in a good place” because “a lot of that can be replicated with a driver simulator once you have an accurate model into where you are in reality”.
Vowles was talking as Williams launched their new livery with pictures of what the team described as “essentially a simplified version of the 2026 car, not the FW48 (itself)”.
He said that the six days of running over the remaining two pre-season tests in Bahrain later this month should give Williams time to gather the data they need, and that being a Mercedes engine customer also came with benefits.
“That is an advantage we have to acknowledge, as opposed to perhaps Aston (Martin) with just Honda and one team as a result of it,” Vowles said.
“There is learning, however, in driving style, adapting to the new energy systems. That’s a lot of what you can see right now being talked about.
“But a lot of that is mimicked. It’s part of the reason why we built a state-of-the-art driver and loop simulator. It does allow you at least to fall back on some simulation systems.”
Vowles joined Williams three years ago charged with returning the team to the front of Formula 1, and made progress with a fifth-place finish in the constructors’ championship last year.
This is the third time in seven years, however, in which delays in the car-build process have affected Williams’ early-season plans.
Vowles said: “I’ve seen elements in ’23. I’ve seen what’s happened this year, and they’re not the same. The particular one this year is the complexity of the car.”
Of the car itself, he added: “The front (suspension) wishbone is quite an impressive design and where it is and how it’s effectively constructed is pushing the boundaries of what we’ve done before as a business.
“But we haven’t moved all parts of the business on at the same level and fleshed it out to that level to understand where we’re going to break it. That’s what I’m seeing now at this stage.
“You only know your boundaries by absolutely pushing every boundary possible. I absolutely believe in what I would call intelligent failure. And you get there by effectively pushing the boundaries of what you’re doing. And what we did was exactly that this year.
“You forge there a heck of a lot quicker with the pain that’s surrounding us at the moment than if you just skirt around the issue and maybe made the last few days of Barcelona.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/c9qpzx5y3njo