Williams completes delayed 2026 F1 car shakedown at Silverstone

Williams finally got its 2026 Formula 1 car, the FW48, on track with a shakedown at Silverstone, a week after being forced to skip the official Barcelona test due to production delays. The team conducted a virtual test instead and now aims to catch up during the official pre-season running in Bahrain ahead of the new regulation era.

Why it matters:

The 2026 season introduces a major overhaul of both chassis and power unit regulations, making every day of pre-season testing critical. Williams's delayed start puts initial pressure on its preparation timeline, but the team's confidence hinges on a packed Bahrain test schedule and its technical partnership with Mercedes to recover lost ground before the season opener.

The details:

• Team Principal James Vowles cited "delays in the FW48 programme" and a system load "about three times what it used to be" as reasons for missing the Barcelona shakedown.
• Williams substituted the track time with a Virtual Track Test (VTT), a rig-based system that replicates on-track running using most of the physical car components.
• Drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz took part in the Silverstone shakedown, running a special testing livery instead of the official 2026 dark blue, black, and light blue design.
• The team uses a Mercedes power unit and gearbox, meaning it can benefit from the German manufacturer's learnings during the Barcelona test.

What's next:

All focus shifts to the official pre-season tests in Bahrain, where Williams will have six total days across two sessions (February 11-13 and 18-20) to complete its program. Vowles expressed confidence that this will be sufficient to be ready for the competitive debut in Melbourne, stating, "I'm confident we won't be behind." The team enters 2026 aiming to build on its fifth-place finish in the 2025 constructors' championship, its best result since 2017.