Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Atlassian in pole position as new title sponsor for Williams F1 Racing

Mike Cannon-Brookes’ software giant Atlassian is taking pole position with a new deal to become the title sponsor for Formula 1 team Williams.

The pair said the “long-term” tie-up would “usher in a new era for the iconic Formula 1 team as Atlassian Williams Racing”.

The sponsorship deal will put Atlassian’s branding in front of millions of viewers during the racing season, particularly in the US where F1 is hoping to make further inroads and grow its fan base.

It will also be integrated into all aspects of the team environment, both trackside and at Williams’ Grove headquarters, south of Oxford in the UK.

Williams is the joint-second most successful team in F1 history with 114 wins, nine constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ championships. It described this season’s team line-up of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz as “one of the most formidable” on the grid.

“This partnership unites two organisations driven by teamwork,” a statement announcing the deal overnight Tuesday said.

“Atlassian’s AI-powered collaboration software empowers teams of 10 to 10,000+ people so they can plan and track work, align on goals and unleash knowledge seamlessly.

“For almost 50 years Williams has been competing in F1 which is the ultimate test of teamwork across a range of disciplines in pursuit of sporting success.”

Alongside the deal as official title partner, Atlassian also becomes official technology partner and official collaboration software partner — making it the biggest partnership deal in Williams’ 48-year history and an integral part of the team’s “comeback plan”. for the 2025 season.

Mr Cannon-Brookes, who is a co-founder of Atlassian and its chief executive, described F1 as the ultimate team sport.

“It’s where engineers, developers, commercial teams, pit crews and countless others work together in real-time at incredible speeds to race for a podium finish,” he said.

“Atlassian shares Williams’ deep belief in the power of teamwork. We know that when great teams have the right tools and practices, they can achieve things that would be impossible alone.

“As one of the first global technology companies out of Australia, we understand what it’s like to have passion, drive and the belief that you’re building something great.

“This team has been through a remarkable transformation, and I believe Atlassian Williams Racing has all the foundations for a renewed era of greatness.”

Williams team principal James Vowles said attracting a title partnership of such size marked a major milestone in its comeback transformation.

“We are putting in place all the right ingredients to get this team back to the front of the grid, and in Atlassian we have a partner that through its technology and tools will help unleash our full potential by improving teamwork and collaboration right across the organisation,” Mr Vowles said.

“Our values and ambition align perfectly, and I’m excited about what we can achieve together.”

Williams will launch this season’s car on Friday, with a special one-off livery to celebrate the new partnership. The official 2025 race livery will be revealed on February 18 at the F1 season launch in London.

Mr Cannon-Brooks is not the first Aussie tech titan to join the race to sponsor F1 teams. Fintech Airwallex last week joined forces with McLaren to support its financial operations while cryptocurrency and gambling platform Stake has naming rights for Sauber.

In 2023, WA social gaming billionaire Laurence Escalante’s Virtual Gaming Worlds signed up to Ferrari as a major partner of its Formula 1 team.