Williams revealed the 2026 livery for its FW48 online on Tuesday, 3 February. For a team that skipped all five days of the private Barcelona test, it is the first sign that the car exists in a finished form. On-track running starts at the official Bahrain test on 11 February.
The livery: gloss blue, black and more white
Formula1.com described the FW48's base colour as a vibrant gloss blue. A black section sweeps from the side of the chassis towards the rear, and a red-and-white keyline nods to the Mansell FW14B and Hill FW18. White has been added to the sidepods and to the front and rear wings.
British bank Barclays appears on the sidepods as a new partner; Formula1.com noted that founder Sir Frank Williams was a Barclays customer. The official team name is Atlassian Williams F1 Team, and team principal James Vowles referred to the title partnership with Atlassian.
The reveal: 1,200 staff at Grove, then online
According to Formula1.com, the livery was shown first to the team's roughly 1,200-strong workforce at Grove, with Vowles, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon present. Crash.net wrote that the team had moved away from initial plans for an in-person reveal in favour of an online launch.
Vowles said: "2026 is the next step on the path back towards the top for Atlassian Williams F1 Team." Albon said the FW48 "looks incredible", and Sainz called it "a real statement of our intent for 2026". Sainz's line is worded slightly differently in the Formula1.com and GrandPrix247 write-ups.
The Barcelona absence: reason and open questions
Each team could run on three of the five days at the 26-30 January private test in Barcelona, but Williams never turned a wheel. Crash.net reported that the team cited delays in the FW48 programme, and that Albon and Sainz will not drive the 2026 car until the first official Bahrain test on 11-13 February. The team planned a Virtual Test Track (VTT) programme instead.
Crash.net also noted a rumour that the car had failed FIA crash tests, which Vowles denied; Formula1.com wrote that the FW48 has passed all mandatory crash tests. With a single outlet behind the rumour, we do not treat it as fact.
| Date (2026) | Event |
|---|---|
| 26-30 January | Private Barcelona test (Williams absent) |
| 3 February | FW48 livery revealed |
| 11-13 February | Official Bahrain test 1 |
| From 18 February | Official Bahrain test 2 (start date per F1) |
No FW48 running data has been published yet. The first official test begins next Wednesday, 11 February, and how much the FW48 runs there is where the team's pre-season story starts.
Sources
- Formula1.com — FIRST LOOK: Williams show off their new livery for 2026 F1 season
- Crash.net — First Look: Williams reveals 2026 F1 livery after missing first test
- GrandPrix247 — Atlassian Williams F1 Team reveal their 2026 Formula 1 car livery
- Crash.net — Who is running on which day of F1 2026's behind closed doors test?
- Formula1.com — EXPLAINED: Why pre-season running is different in 2026