Williams F1 Group will miss the primary week of pre-season testing in Barcelona subsequent week.
Williams confirmed on Friday its determination to skip the collective shakedown on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit from January 26 to 30, citing “delays within the FW48 program”.
The Grove-based group stated this was performed to assist groups “maximize the efficiency of their automobiles” forward of the 2026 F1 season.
“The Atlassian Williams F1 Group has taken the choice to not take part in subsequent week’s shakedown take a look at in Barcelona, following delays to the FW48 program, which continues to push for optimum automotive efficiency,” a crew assertion learn.
“As a substitute, the crew will conduct a collection of assessments subsequent week, together with a VTT program, on the 2026 automotive in preparation for the primary official take a look at in Bahrain and the primary race of the season in Melbourne.”
“We stay up for getting again on observe within the coming weeks and want to thank our followers for his or her continued assist. We’ve a lot to stay up for collectively in 2026.”
Williams celebrated its finest F1 end in a decade final yr, ending fifth within the constructors’ championship thanks to 2 spectacular podium finishes for Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.
All 11 F1 groups have been invited to the primary shakedown take a look at behind closed doorways in Barcelona.
Groups are allowed to run for 3 out of 5 days, with McLaren admitting they may miss no less than the primary day to prioritize improvement time.
