Anthropic has cemented a multi-year partnership with the Atlassian Williams Formula 1 team, marking its first sports sponsorship as artificial intelligence companies make deeper inroads into brand marketing.
Claude, Anthropic’s AI chatbot, will serve as the “Official Thinking Partner” of Atlassian Williams. The team’s engineers and strategists will use Claude to support their work across race strategy, car development, and operations.
Claude branding will also appear on Williams cars, drivers, and team kits starting with the 2026 car reveal on Feb. 3, ahead of the season opener in Melbourne.
The timing is strategic as Williams prepares for Formula 1’s most significant regulation overhaul in recent history. This year, the championship is introducing new car designs and power units that rely more heavily on electrical energy, demanding fresh approaches to engineering and race strategy.
An accompanying ad, created by Mother and its sister agency Run Deep, illustrates the Williams team at work with the support of Claude.
“This partnership is an opportunity for us to show what’s possible when you combine elite human talent with the right technology,” James Vowles, team principal at Atlassian Williams F1 Team, said in a statement.
The sponsorship also builds on Anthropic’s recent brand positioning. Since launching its “Keep Thinking” campaign in September, the company has emphasized Claude’s capabilities as a tool for tackling complex challenges.
Andrew Stirk, head of brand marketing at Anthropic, said the two organizations were a natural fit because of their shared values such as independence and innovation.
“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,” Stirk said in a statement. “They are world-class problem solvers, focused on the smallest details, and that’s the same drive that animates Anthropic.”
The AI brand building race
The Williams partnership continues Anthropic’s push into mainstream brand marketing.
“Keep Thinking,” also created by Mother, represented the AI company’s first entry into paid advertising, with a multimillion-dollar media investment.
In October, Anthropic hosted a weeklong pop-up in New York City that positioned it as a counterweight to the flood of low-quality AI-generated content on the internet. The event drew more than 5,000 people and generated over 10 million impressions on social media.
Anthropic joins a wave of AI companies, including OpenAI and Perplexity, that have been investing more heavily in traditional brand building to differentiate themselves in a competitive and growing sector.
As part of this, other AI businesses are also increasing their presence in sports. Last year, OpenAI partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing, and Perplexity teamed up with Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton. Google Gemini signed a three-year deal with the Indian Premier League earlier this month.
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