The Williams Formula 1 (F1) motor racing team has announced its first title sponsor in five years, bringing in Australian tech firm Atlassian.
The team becomes Atlassian Williams Racing, with the software company also stepping in as the team’s official technology partner and official collaboration software partner, and will implement its “system-of-work” project management solutions across Williams operations.
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Atlassian branding will appear across the Williams car, on the apparel and race suits worn by its two drivers and team staff, and across its physical and digital environment, including on its social media and digital channels.
Williams called the partnership with Atlassian, which is floated on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, the “biggest partnership” in its 48-year history.
Speaking on the deal, Williams team principal James Vowles stated: “Attracting a title partnership of this size and significance is a momentous day in our team’s illustrious history and a major milestone in our comeback transformation.”
Williams has long been one of the backmarkers on the F1 grid despite its dominant success in the 1980s and 1990s.
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By GlobalDataDespite this, the team still remains the joint-second most successful team in F1 history.
Vowles continued: “We are putting in place all the right ingredients to get this team back to the front of the grid, and in Atlassian, we have a partner that through its technology and tools will help unleash our full potential by improving teamwork and collaboration right across the organization.”
Atlassian is Williams’ first title sponsor since the 2018 season, when Martini ended its sponsorship four years after the team finished last among F1 teams, falling from fifth a season prior, marking a torrid run from Williams where it would finish no higher than seventh 2019-2024.
In recent years F1 has exploded in popularity, due in part to Netflix’s F1: Drive to Survive documentary series, and in 2020, Williams was taken out of family ownership for the first time when it was purchased by US investment fund Dorilton Capital.
In recent months, the team has hastened its sponsorship activities ahead of the upcoming 2025 F1 campaign, which will begin on March 16.
This week the team brought in premium travel goods brand Carl Friedrik as an official licensee, while in December, it coaxed Spanish bank Santander away from the Ferrari team.
Elsewhere in F1, the Red Bull Racing team, home of current world champion Max Verstappen, and French racing team Alpine F1, have secured new commercial tech partners ahead of the new season.
Red Bull has brought in 1Password, the cybersecurity firm, as its exclusive partner in that category on a multi-year deal that sees its proprietary access management solutions across Red Bull operations.
Alpine, meanwhile, also expanded its cybersecurity coverage through a new partnership with Arctic Wolf and will integrate the firm’s Aurora platform and endpoint security into its security infrastructure.
