The Williams FW25 Formula 1 car returns to racing as Heritage programme joins BOSS GP

The race-winning 2003 challenger, driven by Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya during one of the team's most competitive modern seasons, has been restored by Williams Heritage and will contest four rounds of the 2026 BOSS GP series with owner-driver Phil Stratford.

The campaign begins at the Nürburgring from 12-14 June before visits to Magny-Cours, the Red Bull Ring and Mugello. It marks the first time Williams Heritage has entered a historic racing championship since the department was established.

Powered by BMW's 3.0-litre V10 engine, the FW25 helped Williams secure second place in the 2003 Constructors' Championship and delivered the team's last Formula 1 one-two finish. That result came at Magny-Cours, where Schumacher won from pole position ahead of Montoya, and the car will return to the French circuit in July.

The FW25's return follows an extensive restoration programme carried out by Williams Heritage specialists, including engineers and technicians who worked on the car during its original Formula 1 campaign.

Drawing on the team's technical archives, components were remanufactured to return the chassis to period-correct specification, with the project forming part of Williams Heritage's wider effort to support private owners running historic Formula 1 machinery.

Jonathan Kennard, Heritage Director at Williams Heritage, said: "Here at Williams Heritage, our history continues to shape our purpose, guiding our mission in supporting the wider Williams team in our ambition to return to the front of the grid.

"Entering our first historic racing championship is a meaningful way of bringing that legacy to life for a new audience as we approach our 50th anniversary next year.

"We are incredibly proud to have supported our customer, Phil, in bringing this remarkable car back to its very best, and we look forward to hearing that unforgettable 19,000 RPM, V10 soundtrack go around Nürburgring once more."

For Stratford, the opportunity to race a Williams Formula 1 car in competition represents the fulfilment of a long-held dream.

The FW25 is regarded as one of the standout cars of the V10 era and remains closely associated with Williams' final sustained title challenge before the hybrid era.

Stratford said: "Owning and racing the FW25 has been a lifelong ambition.

"To be able to do it with the full support of Williams Heritage, the engineers and technicians who know this car better than anyone, and to bring it back to competition at circuits like Magny-Cours, where Ralf and Juan Pablo made history, is extraordinary.

"I cannot wait to get to the Nürburgring," he concluded.

The appearance will give fans a rare opportunity to see and hear one of Formula 1's most memorable V10-powered machines back in competitive action more than 20 years after its original Grand Prix campaign.