Williams has announced that its race-winning, V10-powered 2003 F1 car is to come out of retirement.
The FW25, driven in competition by Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, will compete in four rounds of the 2026 BOSS GP series for historic F1 cars, starting this weekend at the Nürburgring.
V10 Williams F1 car to make racing return
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The FW25, powered by a V10 BMW engine, claimed a total of four race victories in 2003 as Williams finished second to Michael Schumacher’s dominant Ferrari team in the constructors’ standings.
Montoya won the Monaco and German grands prix, with Schumacher taking victory in the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring as well as the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours.
The car was also driven by 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, as well as former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr, in their first-ever F1 tests with Williams.
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Following an ‘extensive restoration’ by Williams’ Heritage division, which preserves and maintains the team’s previous F1 cars, the car will return to competitive action in BOSS GP this summer.
The car’s owner, Phil Stratford, will race the FW25 in a total of four rounds, including a return to the Nürburgring and Magny-Cours.
Stratford will also compete behind the wheel of the FW25 at the Red Bull Ring and Mugello.
The F1 class of the BOSS GP series is limited to Formula 1 cars from the 1996 season onwards.
Other previous F1 cars to appear in the series include the Toro Rosso STR1, which competed with a rev-limited V10 engine in the 2006 season, and the T127 raced by the Lotus Racing (later Caterham) team in 2010.
In a statement issued to PlanetF1.com by Williams, 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.”
Jonathan Kennard, the heritage director of Williams Heritage, added: “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 the Nürburgring once more.”
The FW25’s return to competitive action comes amid suggestions that Formula 1 could revert to V8 power for the next engine rules cycle.
With the new F1 2026 regulations proving unpopular among fans and competitors, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently floated the idea that V8 engines could return as soon as the 2030 season.
Anthony Hamilton, the father of Ferrari driver and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, is also an advocate of a return to previous technology having recently unveiled plans for a new HybridV10 series.
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