Williams has announced a series of events and activations to celebrate 50 years in 2027. Image: Williams
The celebrations will include a fan-selected British Grand Prix livery, a London exhibition showcasing the team’s history and a specially named car for Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.
Williams will become only the third team to complete 50 continuous years in Formula 1, following Ferrari and McLaren, having entered the championship as Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1977.
One of the main attractions for supporters will come at Silverstone, where a fan-selected design will appear on the FW50 for one race only.
Williams has yet to reveal how the selection process will operate, but it follows a similar initiative for its 2026 car.
Supporters were offered six designs to choose from for the FW48’s pre-season running at Barcelona, extending an approach the team also used for a special livery in 2023.
The decision to run the livery at Silverstone comes with the circuit holding a significant place in Williams history. Clay Regazzoni delivered its first F1 victory there in 1979, before Jacques Villeneuve claimed the team’s 100th win at the circuit in 1997.
Williams has won eight times at Silverstone, with Nigel Mansell responsible for three of those victories.
Away from the circuit, Williams will stage W50 Live at 26 Leake Street in London’s Waterloo district from 11 to 28 February 2027.
The ticketed event will feature six historic Williams cars, including the FW06, the first produced by Williams Grand Prix Engineering, and championship-winning machinery associated with Nelson Piquet, Mansell and Villeneuve.
Also appearing will be Juan Pablo Montoya’s FW25 from 2003 and the FW38, in which Valtteri Bottas reached 378km/h in 2016, the highest speed ever recorded by an F1 car.
The Waterloo venue also has a connection to the team’s origins, with Patrick Head having worked in a garage beneath a London railway arch before joining forces with Frank Williams.
An FW50 show car will be displayed, with Williams skipping the FW49 designation to recognise the anniversary. It made the same move for its 40th year, jumping from the FW38 to the FW40.
The team will also release special anniversary merchandise, including a Williams-themed Monopoly set and a commemorative book.
Williams team principal James Vowles noted that more than 100 F1 teams had come and gone since Frank Williams established the operation.
“Our celebrations will reintroduce the heroes and stories that have forged Williams’ legacy to a new generation of fans, who will carry us forward to reach new heights,” he said.
The anniversary will also mark 30 years since Williams last claimed a world championship, having won both titles in 1997.
In total, Williams has secured nine constructors’ championships, seven drivers’ titles and 114 grand prix victories, with all 16 championships coming between 1980 and 1997.