Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership


By Williams F1 Team
September 3 2026

It was announced by the Atlassian Williams F1 Team that Komatsu had extended their partnership with the team that first began in 2024. Komatsu has had a long history of supporting the Williams F1 Team reaching as far back as the mid 1990's. This new agreement with see Komatsu join  with the team in technical collaborations. Komatsu will become the teams Official Hydraulic Innovation Partner. Komatsu branding will remain prominent across Williams’ assets and environments ranging from the car, driven by Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, to the garage, team kit, Fan Zones and other partnership experiences. 

  Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
 
Komatsu extends partnership
 

• Atlassian Williams F1 Team and Komatsu extend their award-winning partnership
• The agreement will now span technical collaboration, as well as existing projects across Early Careers and Komatsu employee engagement
• James Vowles, Team Principal, Atlassian Williams F1 Team: “We look forward to working with them as we continue to accelerate our mission to get back to the front of the grid and deliver real on-track success.”

Atlassian Williams F1 Team and leading construction equipment manufacturer Komatsu have extended their award-winning partnership, in the latest show of confidence for Williams’ mission to get back to the front of the grid and win multiple World Championships.

Building on a relationship that spans decades, and a partnership that first began in 2024, the renewed agreement will see Komatsu support Williams with technical innovation as Official Hydraulic Innovation Partner. Komatsu will draw on years of expertise at the forefront of construction and heavy machinery, and a history of developing components for Williams' 1996 and 1997 Formula 1 World Championship-winning cars, to support the team across technical projects including in hydraulics.

Beyond the track, the two organisations will continue to invest in the next generation of talent – based on the shared belief that future success depends on the young people who will create, imagine, and manufacture the next winning innovation.

This has been a key tenet of the relationship, since the two organisations first launched the Komatsu Williams Engineering Academy in 2024. The programme has supported two cohorts of exceptional young people to supercharge their engineering skills with hands-on mentoring, e-learning experiences, and factory visits.
Starting from 2026, Komatsu will strengthen its support for the team’s talented young drivers, with additional branding for cars across Williams’ F1 Team Driver Academy.

Across its facilities, Komatsu will continue to engage its more than 67,000 employees in over 151 countries, with engagement schemes centered around the partnership. This includes the highly-successful Day in the Life programme, which gives selected Komatsu employees the opportunity to work alongside the team’s pit crew during a race weekend. In 2027 and beyond, Komatsu employees will also benefit from the Komatsu Williams Leadership Academy, a development programme designed to foster the exchange of engineering knowledge, technical expertise and leadership practices.

Komatsu branding will remain prominent across Williams’ assets and environments – from the car, driven by Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, to the garage, team kit, Fan Zones and other partnership experiences.

The extension was formally marked by an announcement and signing ceremony in Komatsu City, Japan on September 2, 2026. The event was attended by senior leadership from both Komatsu and Williams, including Takuya Imayoshi, President and CEO, Komatsu Ltd, Yasuji Nishiura, Senior Executive Officer, Komatsu Ltd., Matthew Savage, Chairman, Atlassian Williams F1 Team, and Peter Kenyon, Board Adviser, Atlassian Williams F1 Team.

James Vowles, Team Principal, Atlassian Williams F1 Team: “After three successful seasons together and a relationship which dates back to our last Championship-winning cars, it is fantastic to be expanding our partnership with Komatsu as Atlassian Williams F1 Team approaches its 50th anniversary. The relationship with Komatsu is truly special and embodies our approach to working with partners who share our values, believe in our journey and can help deliver success on and off track. We look forward to taking the partnership to the next level in 2027 and beyond.”

Takuya Imayoshi, President and CEO, Komatsu Ltd: "Komatsu has always believed that the greatest engineering advances come from tackling complex challenges alongside trusted partners. Our relationship with Atlassian Williams F1 Team has been built on a shared commitment to perseverance, collaboration and authenticity; values that have connected our organizations for decades. As we deepen this partnership, we are creating new opportunities to exchange knowledge, develop future engineering talent and accelerate the ideas that will help shape the next generation of technology. This is a natural extension of Komatsu's commitment to engineering excellence and our ambition to create value for customers and society through innovation."

Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: Williams F1 (IP Logged)
Date: 03/09/2026 07:53

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Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: Stu69 (IP Logged)
Date: 03/09/2026 08:31

Great news

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: GPL (IP Logged)
Date: 03/09/2026 10:01

That is good news, but JV really needs to get his act together now because patience will only last so long without people seeing genuine progress and results.

He has been there 3 years and not proven anything to show he has what it takes yet.

A lot riding on this B Spec no matter how low he down plays the expectations.

Hell of a lot of work designing and building nearly a completely new car mid season and then
to say we might not gain much from it on track position hmm.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: pixel (IP Logged)
Date: 03/09/2026 13:15

Good news - presumably similar or more money, press release doesn't say how big the logo on the cars is going to be.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: J4ck (IP Logged)
Date: 03/09/2026 13:56

also be official hydraulic partner... they will be involved in the design



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:09:03:14:27:53 by J4ck.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: Anderis (IP Logged)
Date: 03/09/2026 14:48

Quote:
GPL
That is good news, but JV really needs to get his act together now because patience will only last so long without people seeing genuine progress and results.
He has been there 3 years and not proven anything to show he has what it takes yet.
I swear some people phrase it as if 2025 has never happened.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: crusty_bread (IP Logged)
Date: 03/09/2026 16:11

It doesn't fit a neat narrative. Probably because there isnt one.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: GPL (IP Logged)
Date: 04/09/2026 12:17

I don,t think you will find anyone on the internet right now remembering last season,s highs, fans and pundits alike, it,s all about the promises the amount of build up and time and resources allocated to the FW48 and how the hell that got everything so wrong, and what they are going to do to fix this Mess.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: crusty_bread (IP Logged)
Date: 04/09/2026 12:40

I still remember Sainz cruising to two very comfortable podiums last year. Why else would expectations have been so high in the first place? If you are consistently poor, there would be nothing to get excited about.

I don't believe that judging someone entirely based on their current mistakes and ignoring how they learned, adapted and succeeded previously is very circumspect or in line with the culture of being brave and experimenting.

I do believe that a lot of williams' issues are circumstantial, eg, a major reg change before the team was ready, plus being too ambitious with insufficient data accuracy. They are clearly reining it it by doing away with the high rake, bit the bullet and focussed on recruitment and design correction over investment, and fingers crossed we see things settle down and improve as they did between 2024 and 2025. Learning is messy and willams need to grow. If you come down too heavy on mistakes, then people lose that growth mindset and just focus on self preservation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:09:04:12:43:16 by crusty_bread.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: GPL (IP Logged)
Date: 04/09/2026 14:33

I am not coming down to heavy on him, i am saying he has made his mistakes and now needs to start proving himself and get Williams back on track.

Hopefully it all starts again with the B spec.

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: crusty_bread (IP Logged)
Date: 04/09/2026 15:07

Quote:
GPL
i am saying he has made his mistakes and now needs to start proving himself and get Williams back on track.
Hopefully it all starts again with the B spec.

Agreed. 2026 has been poor in anyone's book. We do need to see improvement.

The beauty of the b spec is it's going to be a question of "how much". AI estimates 6-8 tenths from weight, but that doesn't factor in any improvement from balance coming from eliminating the high rake or any performance gain from the tighter coke bottle sidepods. Or improved tyre wear. So, things will be looking up regardless. I think it's helpful trying not to put a fixed outcome on it though.

Quote:
GPL
I am not coming down to heavy on him

Denying someone has ever proven they have what it takes, after he delivered williams their best season in almost a decade last year, and managing this despite having to work within a cost cap, and only being part way through a restructure process, is definitely a bit harsh imo.

A manager telling an employee they've never shown any potential when there is evidence that they have exceeded targets at times is going to make them feel very disgruntled and disheartened, and could be grounds for constructive dismissal. Thankfully vowles isn't the employee!

Re: Komatsu and Atlassian Williams F1 Team extend partnership
Posted by: GPL (IP Logged)
Date: 04/09/2026 15:29

His average is not good yet.

4 years but mainly 3 full years in charge and leading and only 1 decent year from that, and then there was all that dallying and dithering and time and money wasted with Logan Sargent.

So lets wait and see what he has learnt this year and show us he really has got to grips with all the issues, which seem never ending and holding us back.

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