F1 fans think one team did it better as Williams unveil special Gulf livery for Brazilian Grand Prix

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Williams have unveiled a special Gulf-branded livery that will adorn the FW47 at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but F1 fans think one team did it much better in a debate on social media.

The special livery for the Grove-based team is called ‘Driven by Words’, and stars 493 words in 12 different languages across the body of the car that fans associate with the legacy of the iconic Williams F1 outfit.

The new look also features the fan-favourite orange and blue colours of the Gulf brand, highlighting the partnership they have had with Williams since the start of 2023.

It’s the second special livery that the British constructor have displayed on the FW47 in the last three race weekends.

Williams’ throwback to their 2002 look left F1 fans purring as they nominated it as the best paint job on a weekend that saw six teams race in alternative colours.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

F1 fans prefer McLaren’s 2021 Gulf livery to Williams’ new look for the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix

After Williams announced their new look for the race weekend in Sao Paulo on social media, fans were quick to share their opinion on the new paint job.

Whilst the sentiment was resoundingly positive in the aftermath of the announcement, fans couldn’t help but compare it to the strikingly similar special livery that McLaren turned up to the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix with.

Replying to a post on Reddit, one fan said, “Gulf liveries always look stunning! I think I prefer the McLaren one from a couple of years ago, but this is class.”

The feeling was echoed in another fan’s comments, who wrote, “I do prefer the McLaren Monaco livery, but that was very much in the classic vein, and I really like this one for bringing a small twist to that.”

Another fan wasn’t entirely happy with the new look, calling it a “pretty weak rendition of the Gulf livery compared to McLaren a few years ago” before adding, “I am not driven by the words.”

In one fan’s verdict, they pleaded for F1 teams to take note and bring the Gulf livery to the grid in a full-time capacity, saying, “I prefer the McLaren Gulf livery, but this is still nice. I just wish Gulf would take the jump and join the grid as a title sponsor for someone. For me, it’s the best racing livery of all time.”

A separate Reddit user was fooled by the announcement post, as they wrote, “Genuinely thought it was McLaren at first.”

In response to the comment, another user replied, “Yeah, that entire thing screams McLaren/2021.”

READ MORE: Carlos Sainz names the Ferrari victory that made him ‘most proud’ in his Formula 1 career

Williams have a plan in store to help Alex Albon out of his recent rut in F1

The livery that the FW47 will be adorned with isn’t the only thing changing inside the Williams garage in Sao Paulo.

Team principal James Vowles disclosed how Williams will be taking a different ‘setup direction’ for Alex Albon in upcoming race weekends, which will be more in line with how Carlos Sainz often sets up his car.

After starting the 2025 term as the more in-form driver within the Grove-based F1 team’s stable, Albon has struggled to secure top-10 finishes as of late.

Albon’s standing as the eighth-placed man in the drivers’ standings looks to be safe, unless Nico Hulkenberg pulls out some race-winning pace, but he hasn’t managed to add to his tally of 73 points since the Italian Grand Prix, five rounds ago.

Sainz, on the other hand, is creeping up on the tail of Hulkenberg and Isack Hadjar ahead of him in the F1 standings, needing to outscore both drivers by just four points in order to leapfrog himself into ninth and behind his teammate.