Anthropic is now thinking with the Atlassian Williams F1 Team
Anthropic and Atlassian Williams F1 Team announce multi-year partnership, naming Claude the team's ‘Official Thinking Partner’.
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Claude will be integrated across the entire Williams organisation, working alongside engineers and team strategists to support how the team thinks, plans, and performs across race strategy, car development, and operations. With Formula 1 entering its biggest regulatory change in a generation, Claude will support the team's ability to make the improvements that count.
Claude is Anthropic's frontier AI, the industry leader in reasoning and safety, trusted by the world's top enterprises. Teams use Claude to debug reams of code, analyse dense research, and build entirely new products, helping them ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and make clearer decisions under pressure.
"Formula 1 is ultimately about the pairing of human endeavor and technical excellence." said Mike Krieger, Co-Lead of Anthropic Labs. "I've watched Atlassian Williams F1 Team find ways to punch above their weight for years, that's exactly the kind of team Claude is built for.”
Williams has built nine Constructors' Championships on ingenuity and innovation, finding crucial milliseconds that deliver results on track. Like Anthropic, they started as outsiders who believe thinking differently is the key to winning. As one of F1's few remaining independent teams, that resourcefulness remains central to how they compete. Under Team Principal James Vowles, with drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, Williams finished fifth last season. Now, Atlassian Williams F1 Team is thinking with Claude as the team enters 2026 with clear ambition: to take the next step towards returning to the front of the grid.
Credits
View on- Agency Run Deep
- Production Company Dan Tobin Smith Studios
- Director Dan Tobin Smith
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Credits
View on- Agency Run Deep
- Production Company Dan Tobin Smith Studios
- Director Dan Tobin Smith
- Ad Agency Mother/London
- Post Production Time Based Arts
- Sound Design King Lear Music & Sound
- Executive Producer/Producer Hannah May
- Production Designer Joseph Bennett
- DP Tim Green
- VFX Supervisor Jasmine Cooper
- VFX Producer Mia Saunders
- Colorist Daniela Rotaru
- Sound Engineer Ned Sisson
- Audio Producer Leo Clayton
- Composer Sonjay Prabhakar
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency Run Deep
- Production Company Dan Tobin Smith Studios
- Director Dan Tobin Smith
- Ad Agency Mother/London
- Post Production Time Based Arts
- Sound Design King Lear Music & Sound
- Executive Producer/Producer Hannah May
- Production Designer Joseph Bennett
- DP Tim Green
- VFX Supervisor Jasmine Cooper
- VFX Producer Mia Saunders
- Colorist Daniela Rotaru
- Sound Engineer Ned Sisson
- Audio Producer Leo Clayton
- Composer Sonjay Prabhakar
"We are thrilled to welcome Anthropic to Atlassian Williams F1 Team and Claude as our Official Thinking Partner. At a time when our team is on a journey to the front, this partnership is an opportunity for us to show what's possible when you combine elite human talent with the right frontier models," said James Vowles, Team Principal at Atlassian Williams F1 Team. "We know that there are no shortcuts to success, and look forward to working with Anthropic to continue building long-lasting performance.”
For Anthropic, the partnership reflects a deliberate choice. "We chose Williams because they're one of F1's last truly independent teams, they compete on the quality of their thinking and their attention to detail. When we met James and his team, we recognised that immediately. They are world class problem solvers, focused on the smallest details, that's the same drive that animates Anthropic. It's why this partnership felt right from the first conversation." said Andrew Stirk, Head of Brand Marketing at Anthropic.
Claude branding will appear on Atlassian Williams F1 Team cars, drivers, and team kit starting with the 2026 car reveal on February 3, ahead of the season opener in Melbourne. This will be the first chapter in a multi-year partnership that both organisations hope will prove the value of thoughtful AI in high-stakes environments.
The partnership launches with a hero film created by Mother and Run Deep and directed by Dan Tobin Smith, the photographer and director known for his meticulously choreographed still life and installation work for clients including Apple, Nike, Moncler and Acne.
The film Thinking Formations is built around a single continuous shot that opens tight on the Atlassian Williams F1 Team garage before pulling back to an overhead view. In slow motion, 42 performers converge on the car with the choreographed precision of pit.
As the camera rises, a pattern emerges. The team's positions around the vehicle form the shape of a human brain - a visual icon connecting Williams’ mechanical excellence with Claude's role as Official Thinking Partner, executed in-camera rather than through visual effects.
The production choice was inspired by Claude’s celebration of problem-solvers. The trial and error, and adjustments required to achieve something that mirrors the partnership itself: minds working together to solve a complex problem. The production team worked with trained movement artists to achieve the formation, with wardrobe carefully graded across Williams blue and white to create visual depth and texture when viewed from above.
The film includes several Easter Eggs for Atlassian Williams F1 Team fans including Carlos Sainz Jr.’s lucky unicorn sticker "Sparkles" (which originated from a young fan's request), driver numbers for Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alex Albon, as well as references to Albon’s well known love of pets.
The visual identity blends Claude's warm clay tones with Williams blue. Engineered yet deeply human. The campaign launches with the line "Williams is Thinking with Claude."
