Atlassian Williams F1 Team

Team Chief: James Vowles
Technical Chief: Pat Fry
Sports Director: Axel Kruse

Chassis 2026: FW48

Engine: Mercedes M17 E Performance
Tyre: Pirelli

---

Reserve Driver: -

2026 Season

Williams enters the 2026 season after finishing fifth in the 2025 Constructors' Championship, its best result in several years. According to both the team and Formula 1, the campaign yielded a total of 137 points and two podium finishes during the second half of the season. From a sporting perspective, there are no changes to the driver line-up compared with 2025, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz remaining together, while the senior management structure also follows a clear path of continuity, with James Vowles as Team Principal and Pat Fry continuing as the key technical figure in his role as Chief Technical Officer. In other words, Grove has chosen to enter the new regulatory cycle without major upheaval, relying on stability in both personnel and organisation to consolidate the progress shown during the previous season.

Car

From a technical perspective, the FW48 has been designed around the new 2026 architecture and, as Williams has officially explained, has been developed for a new generation of Formula 1 cars that are both shorter and narrower. The technical specifications are as follows:

---

History

The origins: Frank Williams, Patrick Head and the birth of WGPE (1977-1979)

Williams Grand Prix Engineering (WGPE) was officially founded in 1977 by Frank Williams and brilliant engineer Patrick Head. Following Frank's earlier attempts with FWRC, the new organisation immediately stood out for its strong technical foundations. After a transitional 1977 season running a private March chassis, Williams made its debut as a constructor in 1978 with the FW06.

The breakthrough came in 1979 with the FW07, a highly effective ground-effect car that allowed Clay Regazzoni to claim the team's first historic victory at Silverstone. It marked the beginning of Williams' rise, as the team established itself as one of Formula 1's leading chassis manufacturers despite continuing to use engines supplied by external manufacturers.

The first championship era and Frank's resilience (1980-1987)

Williams dominated the 1980 season, winning both championships with Alan Jones. The team followed that success with another Constructors' title in 1981 and the Drivers' Championship in 1982 with Keke Rosberg, who secured the crown despite winning only one race in a remarkably unpredictable season. This period also marked the beginning of the crucial partnership with Honda for turbocharged engines.

The year 1986 proved to be a defining moment. While the team won the Constructors' Championship, Frank Williams suffered a serious road accident in France that left him tetraplegic. Despite the tragedy, Patrick Head's technical leadership kept Williams at the front of the field, culminating in the championship double in 1987, when Nelson Piquet won the Drivers' title with the FW11B, one of the most powerful cars of the turbo era.

The Renault golden era and Adrian Newey's genius (1989-1997)

After a short transitional period, Williams began its partnership with Renault in 1989. The arrival of Adrian Newey in 1990 transformed the team into Formula 1's technological benchmark. The FW14B of 1992, featuring active suspension, traction control and a semi-automatic gearbox, is widely regarded as one of the most technologically advanced Formula 1 cars of the 20th century. During this period, Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Alain Prost in 1993 dominated the championship.

The 1994 season was overshadowed by the death of Ayrton Senna at Imola. Despite the enormous shock, the team showed remarkable resilience and still managed to win the Constructors' Championship. Williams' golden era concluded with Drivers' titles for Damon Hill in 1996 and Jacques Villeneuve in 1997, cementing Grove's place among Formula 1's most successful teams.

From the BMW partnership to the hybrid era (1998-2017)

Following the departures of Renault and Newey, Williams entered a period of decline, partially offset by its partnership with BMW between 2000 and 2005. Although the FW25 came close to delivering the title with Juan Pablo Montoya in 2003, the relationship eventually deteriorated, leading to several difficult seasons. The final major victory of the team's "classic" era came in 2012, when Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix.

The beginning of the hybrid era in 2014 brought a significant revival thanks to Mercedes power units and an efficient car concept. Williams finished third in the Constructors' Championship for two consecutive seasons, with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas regularly fighting for podium positions.

The crisis, the Dorilton takeover and the revival (2018-2025)

Between 2018 and 2020, Williams reached the lowest point in its history, burdened by both financial and technical difficulties. In 2020, the Williams family sold the team to investment firm Dorilton Capital, bringing Frank and his daughter Claire's direct involvement in the team's management to an end. Frank Williams passed away in November 2021.

Under the new ownership and with James Vowles leading the team from 2023, Williams began a major rebuilding process. The 2025 season represented the real breakthrough: the arrival of Carlos Sainz alongside Alex Albon helped lift Williams to fifth place in the Constructors' Championship with 137 points. Sainz's two podium finishes confirmed the team's return to the leading group in the midfield and highlighted the effectiveness of the ongoing investment programme at Grove.

First race:

 Gran Premio d'Argentina del 1973

First victory:

 Gran Premio di Gran Bretagna 1979 (Clay Regazzoni)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Points
2026	Williams FW48	Mercedes M17 E Performance	12
2025	Williams FW47	Mercedes	137
2024	Williams FW46	Mercedes	17
2023	Williams FW45	Mercedes	28
2022	Williams FW44	Mercedes M13 E Performance	8
2021	Williams FW43B	Mercedes M12 EQ Power+	23
2020	Williams FW43	Mercedes	0
2019	Williams —-	Mercedes	1
2018	Williams FW41	Mercedes	7
2017	Williams FW40	Mercedes F1 M08 EQ Power+	83
2016	Williams FW38	Mercedes	138
2015	Williams FW37	Mercedes-Benz	257
2014	Williams FW36	Mercedes PU106A Hybrid	320
2013	Williams FW35	Renault RS27-2013	5
2012	Williams FW34	Renault RS27-2012	76
2011	Williams FW33	Cosworth CA2011	5
2010	Williams FW32	Cosworth CA2010	69
2009	Williams FW31	Toyota RVX-09	34.5
2008	Williams FW30	Toyota RVX-08	26
2007	Williams FW29	Toyota RVX-07	33
2006	Williams FW28	Cosworth CA2006	11
2005	Williams FW27	BMW P84/5	66
2004	Williams FW26	BMW P84	88
2003	Williams FW25	BMW P83	144
2002	Williams FW24	BMW P82	92
2001	Williams FW23	BMW P80	80
2000	Williams FW22	BMW E41	36
1999	Williams FW21	Supertec FB01	35

* Season with at least 1 point won (since 2000)

---