Barclays strengthens global sports portfolio with strategic partnership with Williams Formula 1 Team

Barclays strengthens global sports portfolio with strategic partnership with Williams Formula 1 Team

(IN BRIEF) Barclays has signed a multi-year sponsorship with the Atlassian Williams F1 Team, becoming its Official Banking Partner and primary corporate bank while securing prominent branding on the 2026 FW48 car and team apparel. The partnership will focus on client engagement across key global markets and leverages Formula 1’s growing, increasingly diverse audience to strengthen Barclays’ brand presence. Both parties highlighted the historic ties between Barclays and Williams, as well as the strategic importance of the collaboration ahead of major regulatory changes in Formula 1.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 4-Feb-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Barclays PLC has entered into a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the Atlassian Williams Formula 1 Team, reinforcing its presence in global sport and aligning with one of the most historically successful teams in the championship. Williams, with 114 race victories, nine Constructors’ titles, and seven Drivers’ Championships over nearly five decades, will carry Barclays branding across its cars, drivers, and team apparel beginning with the 2026 FW48.

Under the terms of the partnership, the Barclays logo will feature prominently on multiple parts of the new car, including the rear wing, side pods, chassis top, cockpit surround, and front mirrors. In addition, Barclays branding will appear on the race overalls, cooling vests, gloves, and helmets of drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, as well as on the uniforms of mechanics and other team personnel.

Beyond branding, Barclays will serve as the Official Banking Partner of Williams and will become the team’s primary corporate bank. The collaboration will extend into client engagement initiatives, with Barclays working closely with Williams to activate the sponsorship across selected races in 2026. These activities will prioritize markets where Barclays is expanding its corporate, institutional, and private banking footprint, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, while also strengthening relationships in the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe.

The sponsorship is intended to enhance Barclays’ global brand reach at a time when Formula 1 continues to attract an increasingly diverse and growing audience. With more than 827 million viewers in 2024 and millions attending races in person, the sport offers a platform to engage younger and more gender-diverse fans. Barclays sees this as complementary to its broader commitment to supporting women’s sport and inclusive engagement.

The agreement also reflects a renewed connection between Barclays and Williams, rooted in a longstanding relationship dating back to the team’s founder, Sir Frank Williams, who was a long-term customer of the bank. Barclays has also historically provided banking services to the Williams team.

Stephen Dainton, President of BBPLC and Head of Investment Bank Management at Barclays, said that the partnership would deepen client engagement and elevate the bank’s brand across key markets. He emphasized that aligning with a globally recognized Formula 1 team complements Barclays’ wider portfolio of sports partnerships, which spans football, tennis, cricket, and basketball, combining elite-level sponsorship with grassroots community investment.

James Vowles, Team Principal of Atlassian Williams F1 Team, welcomed Barclays as Official Banking Partner, noting that the collaboration comes at a pivotal moment as Formula 1 prepares for major regulatory changes. He expressed confidence that the partnership would support Williams’ long-term strategic ambitions and competitiveness in the new era of the sport.

About Barclays
Our vision is to be the UK-centered leader in global finance. We are a diversified bank with comprehensive UK consumer, corporate and wealth and private banking franchises, a leading investment bank and a strong, specialist US consumer bank. Through these five divisions, we are working together for a better financial future for our customers, clients, and communities. For further information about Barclays, please visit https://home.barclays/

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email: ukpressoffice@barclays.com

SOURCE: Barclays