Williams show off their new livery for 2026 F1 season

Williams have revealed the striking blue livery that will adorn their 2026 Formula 1 challenger.

Team Principal James Vowles and his race drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon unveiled the new look to their 1,200-strong workforce at Grove on Tuesday.

The FW48’s lead colour is a vibrant gloss blue and is contrasted with a slowing section of black that sweeps from the chassis side through the rear of the car.

There’s a red and white keyline, which was a feature of the championship-winning Williams cars like Nigel Mansell’s FW14B and Damon Hill’s FW18, the latter of which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

The biggest tweak to the design sees the addition of white across the sidepod, front wing and rear wing.

The car also features a suite of new sponsors, including the addition of Barclays, the bank of which founder Sir Frank Williams was a customer and which provided the team with banking services for many years.

Team Principal James Vowles said: “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.

“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.”

Albon said: “It’s always special to see a new livery for the first time and the FW48 looks incredible. The design really stands out – it’s bold, modern and unmistakably Atlassian Williams F1 Team.

“I can’t wait for the fans to see it on track and cheer us on in 2026.”

Sainz added: “The FW48 is a real statement of our intent for 2026. The design celebrates Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s heritage while embracing a fresh, dynamic look for the new era.

“I’m excited to race in this livery and to share the thrill with fans around the world – their support makes all the difference as we continue on our journey together.”

Williams have had a bumpy start to 2026 after the team opted not to take part in last week’s Barcelona Shakedown because of delays in production.

Vowles later said the FW48 has passed all mandatory crash tests and the team are ready to take part in official pre-season testing in Bahrain, which begins next week on February 11.

They will be playing catch-up after all 10 of their rival teams did some running last week in Spain, including newcomers Cadillac and Audi.

The iconic British team are looking to make another step forward in their quest to return to the sharp end of the field after securing a superb fifth-placed finish in the Teams’ Championship in 2025.