Williams to Skip One Car Number in 2027, Naming Next Car FW50 for 50th Anniversary

The British Formula 1 team is preparing a symbolic gesture for its anniversary. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Williams Grand Prix Engineering's debut (which took place at the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix), the team has decided to break the traditional numbering sequence of their chassis. Following this year's FW48 car, the team will skip FW49. The 2027 car will be immediately named FW50 in honor of the milestone.

Incidentally, this is not the first time the team has made such a move: in 2017, Williams similarly skipped a number. To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the car was named FW40, skipping FW39. The perfect alignment of years and car numbers was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, when, for cost-saving reasons, the team used an updated FW43B chassis in 2021 instead of moving on to FW44.

It is noteworthy that despite changes in ownership, Williams continues to honor its heritage and uses the iconic FW abbreviation in tribute to its founder, Frank Williams.