Williams Releases Statement Over Critical Barcelona F1 Testing Rumors

Williams will miss the first pre-season test of the 2026 season in what is a major setback for the team.

The squad based in Grove, England, enjoyed a vastly improved campaign last year, finishing fifth in the constructors' standings by virtue of strong performances from Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz - the Spaniard picking up podiums in Azerbaijan and Qatar.

With new regulations for chassis, aerodynamics, and power units this term, teams face a mountain to climb both in performance and reliability early on, and as such, pre-season testing has been increased from one three-day test to three.

James Vowles, Williams — Team principal James Vowles | Williams Racing

The first of these takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next week behind closed doors, with teams permitted to run on any three days out of five.

But owing to chassis issues, Williams will be forced to wait until February's two tests at the Bahrain International Circuit before performing any running.

Williams statement

In a statement released on Friday, January 23, Williams explained: "Atlassian Williams F1 Team has taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 programme as we continue to push for maximum car performance.

"The team will instead conduct a series of tests including a VTT programme, next week with the 2026 car to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the first race of the season in Melbourne.

"We are looking forward to getting on track in the coming weeks and want to thank all our fans for your continued support – there is a lot to look forward to together in 2026."

A new era starts now.

The FW48 is alive 👀 pic.twitter.com/rGJDIyDVrx
— Atlassian Williams F1 Team (@WilliamsF1) January 22, 2026

Missing the first test means that Albon and Sainz will get just three days each behind the wheel of the new machinery before the first race of the season at the Australian Grand Prix.

Williams was expected to enjoy a strong start to the season after its period of building under James Vowles, with Mercedes power rumored to be the dominant force early on.

The German manufacturer is at the center of a storm regarding compression ratios, with Audi, Honda and Ferrari understood to have raised complaints with the FIA over a suspected loophole in the regulations found by Mercedes.

Williams has missed a pre-season test before in 2019, when the FW29 was not ready for testing in Barcelona. That led to the then-chief technical officer, Paddy Lowe, leaving his position later that year.

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