# Williams' throwback livery lands on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 > A beautiful 1981 tribute car ran into a sponsor history nobody wanted to talk about this particular weekend. - Title: Williams' throwback livery lands on the 25th anniversary of… - Summary: A beautiful 1981 tribute car ran into a sponsor history nobody wanted to talk about this particular weekend. A throwback design carries whatever the original… - Keywords: formula 1, williams, motorsport, sponsorship, 9/11, news, entertainment, Williams', throwback, livery, lands, 25th - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/sport/formulaone/article-16123455/williams-f1-livery-bin-laden-madrid.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-09-11T14:54:05+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: formula 1, williams, motorsport, sponsorship, 9/11, news, entertainment ## A throwback that backfired Williams unveiled a special livery for the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid and got backlash instead of applause. The design was fine. The date was the problem. ## The car being honoured It is a tribute to the FW07C, the car Williams ran the last time the team raced in the Spanish capital, back in 1981. ## Twenty five years since 9/11 The unveiling landed on 11 September 2026, the 25th anniversary of the attacks. That single fact turned a nostalgia exercise into a news story. ## Saudi money built that look The 1981 Williams was heavily backed by Saudi Arabian firms after a team business trip to the Middle East, with Saudia Airlines as main sponsor. ## The name on the sidepod In 1979, a similar looking Williams carried the name 'Bin Laden'. Mohamed bin Laden's construction company had put money into the team. > the Williams car also carried the name 'Bin Laden' ## Father, not son The backer was Osama bin Laden's father. The family was enormous, and by that point Osama had reportedly been pushed out of it. > It was a huge family and I think Osama had sort of been kicked out of the family at the time ## Different car, same colours The livery copies the 1981 championship winner, not the 1979 car that carried the Bin Laden name. The white, green and navy scheme spans both. ## Sainz comes home The livery also marks Carlos Sainz's home race. He drives for Atlassian Williams at the brand new Madring circuit in his own city. ## How Williams pitched it The team framed the colours as continuity, engineers passing lessons down from the FW07C to today's FW48. > the livery showcases how our history compounds into progress ## The 1981 reference points Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann raced for Williams at Madrid's Circuito de Jarama that year, when the team was a leading force on the grid. ## Buxton raises his hand Pundit Will Buxton, known from Drive to Survive and now covering IndyCar for FOX in the US, questioned the timing on his Up To Speed podcast. > I love a throwback livery. I'm not convinced the timing of it is wise. ## His actual argument Buxton did not call the team malicious. He said the colour scheme carries an association people will make on their own, on this weekend of all weekends. > People will make that link and they will make that association. ## Any other weekend That was the heart of it. Buxton said the same car in a different week would read as simply cool, and blamed a focus group that failed to focus. > Any other weekend, you'd be like, 'Oh, that's pretty cool.' ## Fans called it a reach Plenty of replies pushed back. One American who was 11 in 2001 said one man's actions should not stain his whole family. > I don't think the actions of one individual shouldn't reflect the rest of the family. ## A stretch, or a distortion Others went further, calling the link nonsense and saying it misrepresents what Williams is commemorating. > an unfair and offensive distortion of what the team is actually commemorating ## The other camp Some fans agreed the week was badly chosen, wondering aloud why nobody in the room raised it before signoff. > Did no one around the table say 'hmm, maybe not this weekend boss…' ## An easy fix nobody took The most common suggestion was also the simplest. Run the same livery on almost any other date and the conversation never starts. > Run it any other weekend and it removes anyone bringing this up. ## What the team principal said James Vowles tied the car to Williams's climb back up the grid, calling it a link between Jarama and the team it is becoming. > Our mission to get back to the front of the grid is drawn from, inspired by and informed by everything we've done before. ## Roots, not politics For Williams the point was lineage. It is one of the few current teams that actually raced in Madrid before, and it won a title doing it. ## The lesson for marketers Heritage branding imports the whole history, including the sponsors. Check the calendar and the old sponsor list before the reveal, not after. ## Key takeaway A throwback design carries whatever the original car carried, so check the calendar before you unveil it.