Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Williams F1 Team

  • Williams show off their new 2026 livery

    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.

    The FW48’s lead colour is 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.

    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.

    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.
    James Vowles on the news.

    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.
    Albon 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.
    Sainz added too.

  • Williams confirm Martins for Test & Development Driver

    Williams have announced that their Driver Academy graduate, Victor Martins, will step into a new role as Test and Development Driver for the 2026 season, dovetailing those Formula 1 duties with a drive in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine.

    French driver Martins, 24, joined Williams’ Driver Academy at the start of 2025, having previously won the Formula Renault Eurocup series in 2020, the FIA Formula 3 title in 2022 and then finished as top rookie in the 2023 FIA Formula 2 season.

    He secured multiple race wins and podium finishes across his three F2 campaigns with ART Grand Prix, most recently taking victory in the 2025 Qatar Feature Race.

    Martins will now graduate to a Test and Development Driver role at Williams alongside Oliver Turvey and Harrison Scott, where he will – as per a release – play a crucial role in advancing the team’s development programmes to support our F1 drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz as the sport enters an unprecedented change in technical regulations.

    Duties will include refining Williams’ state of the art diver in loop simulator, which came online at the end of 2025, while he will also be involved in developing a dedicated Driver Academy DIL to support young talent on their path to F1.

    Williams is an iconic team with an incredible history and I’m excited to be part of the project to bring this team back to the front of the grid. I’ve already had experience working with Alex and Carlos during race weekends, and I’m looking forward to continuing this work with the team in 2026. hanks to [Team Principal] James Vowles, Sven [Smeets, Sporting Director] and everyone at Williams for the opportunity.
    Martins on the news.

    Victor is a talented driver who has consistently given invaluable guidance and feedback to the team, improving our on-track performance and supporting Alex and Carlos throughout the 2025 season. His recent experience driving the FW47 in Barcelona FP1 and supporting the TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme gives him the real-world context to make real impact on the development of the FW48 and future car programmes.
    Smeets on the news.

  • Williams announce car livery reveal date

    Williams are the latest Formula 1 team to confirm a livery reveal date for their 2026 challenger.

    Coming swiftly after Mercedes’ own announcement, Williams have announced that the “striking” new livery for the FW48 will be unveiled on Tuesday, February 3rd.

    That falls between F1’s private pre-season test in Barcelona from January 26th-30th and two subsequent sessions in Bahrain from February 11th – 13th and February 18th – 20th.

    Williams will be looking to build on a much-improved P5 classification in the Teams’ Championship – their best since 2017 – as the sport enters an all new era of regulations this year.

    Carlos Sainz, who arrived in 2025 and scored two Grand Prix podiums, remains alongside long-time Williams Alex Albon, with James Vowles continuing to lead the team’s resurgence as Team Principal.

  • Williams unveil new logo and identity from 2026

    Williams Racing will become Williams F1 Team from next season as a part of a refresh of the iconic British squad’s identity.

    The Grove-based team is among the most successful Formula 1 teams of all time, with nine Teams’ Championships, seven drivers’ titles and 114 Grand Prix wins.

    Williams are well into a rebuild phase under the ownership of Dorilton Capital and leadership of James Vowles and are set to finish an impressive fifth in the teams’ standings this year having scored 121 points to date, which is more than their tally accrued in the last seven seasons combined.

    In line with the introduction of sweeping new chassis and power unit rules next season, Williams have opted to revise their team name, which they say “connects the team’s glorious legacy to its bold and ambitious future” and team logo.

    The team say their existing “W” logo will be replaced by a 21st century reimagining of team founder Frank Williams’ famous ‘Forward W’ first introduced in our founding year of 1977.

    I am proud that from next year we will be known as Atlassian Williams F1 Team and carry a logo on our car inspired by our founder Sir Frank Williams and deeply connected with our decades of success. As a team we are inspired by our past but excited about our future and committed to writing a new Championship-winning chapter in Williams’ history. This evolved team identity reflects who we are, where we are going, and reintroduces our title-winning legacy to a growing F1 audience that was not following the sport when we were last dominant.
    Vowles on the news.