Behind the scenes of an F1 team kit launch

__The winter break can feel long and arduous for F1 fans eager for the return of racing, though there's not long to wait with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix taking place this weekend. However, there's still plenty of excitement to be found in pre-season events.

This year, I had the privilege of attending Williams’ team kit launch event in London, with all the big names in attendance. Drivers Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, and Team Principal James Vowles all spoke in front of a crowd of well-known creatives and influencers – it felt like a true celebration of racing, fashion, and culture. Let’s go behind the scenes of an F1 launch event...

The fitting venue

On January 20, One Marylebone became the stage for a collision of motorsport heritage and streetwear culture as Williams Racing and New Era unveiled their 2026 team kit. The invite-only event marked the debut offering from the brand partnership that looks to provide something different in the merchandise world.

Arrival at the venue set the tone immediately – I walked through a corridor plastered with larger-than-life images of Albon and Sainz with pulsing beats from London-based DJ, Keyrah. Her decks were positioned beneath a suspended Williams F1 show car that hung dramatically overhead – an eye-catching feature for the evening.

The choice of One Marylebone, a striking former church built in 1826, was particularly fitting for two brands steeped in history. Williams, one of Formula 1's most storied teams with 114 wins, nine Teams' Championships, and seven Drivers' Championships, joined forces with New Era, a clothing company founded in 1920.

The venue had been transformed into an immersive brand experience, featuring recreations of Albon’s and Sainz’s team garages, complete with screens displaying real F1 racing data. The Williams x New Era pieces were displayed behind glass, like prized artefacts in a museum, elevating the merchandise to collector status. Even the ice cubes served in the drinks at the bar were branded with Williams and New Era logos!

One of the most popular activations was the t-shirt printing station, where guests could have their Williams x New Era shirts customised – making it into a personal collector’s item. Perhaps this was too popular, as the queue snaked through the venue for most of the evening!

The Creative Collection

The 2026 team kit itself represents a fresh approach to F1 apparel. Designed and produced by New Era, it will be worn by drivers, engineers and team personnel alike throughout the upcoming season. The collection offers a range of silhouettes in both men's and women's fits, engineered specifically to meet the performance and travel demands of an F1 team constantly on the move.

The headwear offering is particularly extensive, with sizing for all and a wide variety of styles. I saw glimpses of the 9FORTY, 9FIFTY snapbacks and 59FIFTY cap, as well as bucket hats and beanies – New Era are certainly bringing their expertise to a sport known for its love of headwear.

Design details from the kit have also been incorporated into a special fan-voted FW48 testing livery that was on show at their Silverstone shakedown. The collection fits into Williams’ ‘Creating the Culture of Speed’ campaign, which aims to further the team's cultural impact off the track.

Upbeat Speeches

The evening's highlights came when Vowles and Christopher Koch, CEO of New Era, took to the stage, followed by the drivers themselves.

Vowles spoke passionately about both the team's legacy and its ambitions: "I'm really proud of where we come from, we have nine Constructors’ Championships, seven Drivers' Championships. My job is to be proud of our legacy and build on it at the same time. The kit represents who we are as a team right now – proud of our history, confident in our identity and focused on the future."

Koch emphasised New Era's vision for the partnership: "For New Era, identity and self-expression is part of performance. We will help to bring that to the Williams team, and we'll give the consumers something that they haven't had before, something exciting."

Albon, clearly impressed with the collection, highlighted its versatility: "I love the variety of this collection. I love the bomber jacket, I don't see many teams doing this kind of thing."

It was fascinating to hear each of the speakers take interest in each other’s fields – collaboration between sport and culture has always been mutually beneficial and seeing the two come together at an in-person event was very special.

Culture x Racing

The guest list reflected the event's broader cultural ambitions beyond motorsport. As well as plenty of F1 content creators, attendees included TV personality Ollie Proudlock, model Pixie Geldof, photographer Anais Gallagher, radio hosts Jeremiah Asiamah and Snoochie Shy, actor Jay Lycurgo, and rapper Big Tobz. This highlighted how the evening was also a celebration of London's music, fashion, and creative scenes - rather than a purely Formula 1 affair.

What could have been a simple product launch was in fact a special experience championing F1 embracing off-track partnerships to bring fans closer to the action.

Keep an eye-out for more of these team kit collaborations, as plenty of the grid will be announcing race-specific merchandise throughout the season.

Check out the latest Williams merchandise on the F1 Store here