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Williams Racing has unveiled a striking one-off livery for the inaugural Formula 1 race at the new Madring circuit in Madrid. The predominantly white car, accented with green and dark blue stripes, pays homage to the team’s 1981 championship season — a year when Williams drivers Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann dominated the Circuito de Jarama in the Spanish capital. The livery was revealed on June 20, 2025 at a fan zone in Madrid, with the team’s current driver Carlos Sainz present to mark the occasion.
The design choice is more than a nostalgic nod. According to the team, it connects the historic 1981 triumph with the ambitious present-day rebuild. Williams, now in its 50th season, is entering a new era under the leadership of James Vowles and with a new title partner in Atlassian. The livery is intended to symbolize how accumulated knowledge and team identity can fuel future success — a philosophy that resonates both on the track and in the tech world.
“Our mission to get back to the front of the grid is inspired by and built on everything we’ve done before,” said Vowles. “I’m incredibly proud that we can celebrate that with Atlassian’s special livery, which connects the team we were at Jarama with the team we are becoming today. The car looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to see it turning laps in Madrid.”
Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes echoed the sentiment, adding a software-development perspective: “The best teams don’t put their history in a display case. They weave it into their work. That’s exactly the idea behind this livery — and how we think about building products: the knowledge a team accumulates over the years should help decisions be made faster tomorrow, rather than just looking pretty on the wall.”
The livery marks the first time Williams has used a retro design inspired by 1981 since the team’s championship-winning FW07C. The original colors were a nod to the team’s primary sponsor at the time, while the current iteration carries the branding of Atlassian, which became Williams’ title sponsor at the start of 2025. The partnership is the largest in the team’s history outside of the Rothmans era, and the livery is the first visible result of the collaboration.
Carlos Sainz, who joined Williams for the 2025 season after leaving Ferrari, was the natural choice to unveil the car in his home city. “It’s special to be part of a moment that connects the team’s history with the future of Spanish motorsport,” Sainz said. “The Madring is a fantastic new circuit, and I hope we can give the fans a strong performance this weekend.”
Williams currently sits seventh in the constructors’ championship, with a clear upward trajectory after finishing last in 2023 and 2024. The team has scored points in five of the first eight races of the season, and the Madring debut is seen as a critical opportunity to gain momentum. The circuit, which replaces the traditional Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, is a street track built around the IFEMA exhibition center, featuring a mix of fast straights and tight corners.
The one-off livery will be used only for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. After the race, the car will revert to the standard Williams-Atlassian blue-and-white design. The team has not confirmed whether the retro scheme will be auctioned off or kept for future display, but the fan reaction at the Madrid launch has been overwhelmingly positive.
For Williams, the Madring race represents a homecoming of sorts. The team’s first Formula 1 victory came at the 1979 British Grand Prix, but its association with Spain runs deep: the 1981 title was sealed at Jarama, and the team has long had a strong Spanish fan base thanks to drivers like Sainz and, earlier, Pedro de la Rosa. The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix is also the first F1 race in Madrid since 1981, making the livery’s timing especially poignant.
From a technical standpoint, the special paint is applied using a durable matte finish that reduces weight by roughly 0.5 kg compared to standard gloss liveries — a small but meaningful advantage in a sport where every gram counts. Williams has also worked with Atlassian to incorporate subtle data-visualization patterns into the stripes, a nod to the partnership’s focus on analytics and collaboration.
The Madring weekend kicks off with practice on Friday, June 20, followed by qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Williams aims to end a 28-year win drought — the team’s last victory came at the 1997 European Grand Prix. While a win may be a long shot, the special livery has already achieved its primary goal: reminding the world that Williams is a team with a proud history and a determined future.
