- New title partnership emphasises “commercial evolution” of Williams
- Team has not had a title partner in F1 for five years
Williams Racing’s new title partnership with Atlassian is one of the most lucrative commercial deals in Formula One and wider sport, according to team principal James Vowles.
The Grove-based outfit announced a long-term agreement with the software company last week and while the value of the contract has not been disclosed, it has been confirmed as the biggest partnership deal in Williams’ 48-year history.
For context, Red Bull’s top-level deal with Oracle is worth a reported US$300 million across five years, making it one of the richest contracts in Formula One team history.
The Atlassian tie-up is Williams’ first title partnership since Rokit in 2019, which was cut short after only one year. Prior to that, the team had title deals with BMW (2000 to 2005), AT&T (2007 to 2011) and Martini (2014 to 2018).
Williams have struggled on the commercial front in recent years, which stems from their downturn in form having scored just eight points across 69 races between 2018 and 2021.
However Vowles, who was speaking to journalists during a media roundtable on 14th February, said the Atlassian deal was “a huge statement” for the team as it seeks to become more competitive on the track
“It’s one of the biggest deals full stop in the sport and across sports,” Vowles said in response to a question from BlackBook Motorsport. “But part of [the deal] that’s really important to me is this: we have a company that is also a challenger, that has very similar values to where we are. It’s around teamwork, collaboration, around getting organisations to work with one another, to get maximum output.
“[This] is why the synergy works and why I was incredibly pleased that we have not just a sticker on the car, but an active company that understands what it is to be pushing the boundaries [and] understands how to manipulate and work with data as well.”
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Vowles also praised Atlassian for the faith it was showing in Williams, despite a testing period. Indeed, he said there was a compelling commercial journey on offer for the company, as well as other brands that decide to come on board with the team.
“[Atlassian] can see the journey we’re on, and they believe in the journey we’re on,” said Vowles. “They want to invest and be a part of it as well. That, for me, is a sign of trust, the same way Carlos [Sainz] has lent that, the same way Alex [Albon] has lent that, the same way other partners I’m convinced in future will as well.
“So it’s hard to put any more [on] the value than it’s incredibly important to me, but it’s also a sign of evolution. We were talking before about the car, the team, how we’ve evolved, we’ve evolved commercially as well.
“What we do today as a proposition, not just how we bring in partners but how we look after and work with partners, is completely different to what we had 12 and 24 months ago.
“It’s a different world and, for me, it’s a sign of every part of our organisation changing.”
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