Williams boss Vowles hails FW48 as 'best-produced' car despite missing Barcelona test

Williams Team Principal James Vowles has declared the new FW48 the most well-constructed car of his tenure, even as production delays forced the team to skip the crucial pre-season shakedown in Barcelona. The team will now rely on an extensive virtual testing program and a full six days of running in Bahrain to prepare the complex new challenger for the 2026 season.

Why it matters:

Missing the traditional Barcelona shakedown is a significant setback for any team, as it provides the first real-world data and system checks. For Williams, which is aiming to build on a promising 2025 and challenge the established frontrunners under the new regulations, starting on the back foot is not ideal. Vowles's confidence in the car's build quality, however, suggests the team is prioritizing long-term performance gains over short-term convenience.

The details:

• Vowles confirmed the FW48 is approximately three times more complex than any previous car produced by the Williams factory, which overwhelmed their systems and caused the parts delay that led to missing Barcelona.
• The decision to push development late was intentional. Vowles stated that finalizing the car earlier would have meant "leaving too much performance on the table" and not pushing the organization to a "championship level" of operational lateness.
• To compensate for the lost track time, Williams conducted a multi-day Virtual Test Track (VTT) program. Vowles highlighted its particular usefulness in validating a new and different cooling system, a critical area after last year's reliability issues.
• The team boss downplayed rumors of the car being significantly overweight, calling them "murmurings." He admitted the new 768kg limit is aggressive but stated any potential overweight issue would be addressed with an "aggressive programme" once the true weight is confirmed in Bahrain.
• Williams benefits from using a Mercedes power unit and gearbox, meaning data and learnings from Mercedes' own Barcelona running will be transferable, partially offsetting their own absence.

What's next:

All focus now shifts to Bahrain, where Williams will have six days of pre-season testing—double the recent norm—to make up for lost time. Vowles is confident the team will be ready, emphasizing the goal is to hit the ground running with a reliable car from the very first session. The true competitive picture of the highly complex FW48, which Vowles is careful not to predict, will only become clear on the timing sheets in Sakhir.