Williams has unveiled the livery for its delayed 2026 Formula 1 car.
The FW48 will feature a mainly dark blue and black design like its predecessors, but will also feature light blue and white on its sidepods, accommodating the Barclays and Komatsu logos, with more white on the front and rear wings.
The team announced on Wednesday that the British bank 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.”
Williams’ journey “back towards the top” got off to an inauspicious start as the team missed the Barcelona pre-season test, making its FW48 the only 2026 car yet to appear publicly – which remains the case as today is merely a livery reveal.
Williams FW48
Photo by: Williams
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 squad on the back foot in terms of spare parts.
“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,” the Briton 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.”
The Bahrain pre-season tests are taking place from 11-13 and 18-20 February; the actual FW48 is not expected to be unveiled any sooner.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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