Although the FW25 could have easily won on its debut during the
Australian Grand Prix but for a costly late race spin from the lead by
Colombian driver
Juan Pablo Montoya, the car did not establish itself amongst the frontrunners on the grid until the
Austrian Grand Prix where again Montoya led before retiring with engine failure. Until that race, both drivers complained about understeer due to flaws in the car's design and were restricted to minor points placings. A new, wider front tyre introduced by
Michelin at the
Monaco Grand Prix unlocked the potential of the FW25, with Montoya winning in Monte Carlo before the team scored a double-podium at the
Canadian Grand Prix, then went on to score dominant 1–2 victories at the
European Grand Prix at the
Nürburgring, and the next race, the
French Grand Prix at
Magny-Cours, with Ralf Schumacher leading home Montoya on both occasions. This mid-season resurgence in form ignited both the team's and Montoya's own title challenge, with the Columbian extending his podium streak with a second place at the
British Grand Prix, winning the
German Grand Prix by over a minute from pole position and taking third place at the
Hungarian Grand Prix, leaving him just one point behind title rival
Michael Schumacher at the top of the Drivers' Championship standings. Meanwhile, after outscoring
Ferrari in Hungary, the team led the Constructors' Championship by eight points with only three rounds remaining. Subsequently, a change to Michelin's front tyre width (resulting from a protest lodged by their rivals
Bridgestone through the Ferrari team after their poor performance at the
Hungarian Grand Prix) caused controversy through the paddock, with Williams tipped to lose their competitive edge after that race due to a slimmer tyre design being raced at the
Italian Grand Prix at
Monza being seemingly at odds with the wider tyre that Williams brought with great effect to the Monaco Grand Prix. Despite Montoya taking his eighth consecutive podium with second place at Monza, being able to stay with eventual World Champion
Michael Schumacher's
Ferrari throughout the whole race, the FW25 would not win again in the final three races of the season, with the
Italian,
United States, and
Japanese GP taking place after the tyre redesign. Montoya's title hopes were eventually extinguished after the penultimate race in the United States at
Indianapolis, although Williams still entered the final round in
Japan with a chance at taking their tenth Constructors' title. This initially looked promising as Montoya led the final race at
Suzuka before retiring with a hydraulics problem. Montoya would later cite the FW25 as a favourite of his, praising the balance and the driveability with the powerful BMW engine which suited his aggressive driving style. ==Sponsorship and livery==