The Williams Formula 1 team finally rolled out its 2026 challenger, the FW48, for its debut shakedown at Silverstone after skipping last week's Barcelona test due to production delays. Drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz both took part in the promotional filming day, providing positive feedback amid minor issues to address. The team now prepares for further testing in Bahrain ahead of the new season.
Williams became the last Formula 1 team to hit the track with its 2026 car when the FW48 completed a shakedown at Silverstone on Wednesday, following delays that forced the squad to miss the Barcelona collective test the previous week. Team principal James Vowles attributed the absence to an overloaded production process, stating that 'the amount of load going through our system is about three times what it used to be.' Instead, Williams conducted a successful Virtual Track Test (VTT), which Vowles described as achieving 'the mileage that we wanted to do.'
Both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz drove the car during the session, which featured a special testing color scheme rather than the official dark blue and black livery unveiled the day before at the team's Grove headquarters. The livery, presented to the 1,200-strong workforce, includes vibrant gloss blue with black accents, red and white keylines nodding to historic Williams cars, and new sponsor Barclays among others.
Vowles called the day a 'milestone,' noting, 'The team has absolutely pulled together under the pressure of the situation and delivered a car today... Carlos and Alex were able to provide some positive feedback to direct us, while also identifying some minor issues for us to clean up between now and then.' Albon reported a 'fairly smooth day' with 'decent weather for Silverstone at this time of year,' adding that the focus now shifts to Bahrain. Sainz echoed the excitement: 'It’s always an exciting, special day for the drivers, the mechanics and the entire team... We are ready to fly to Bahrain in a few days where we’ll dive into more complete run plans.'
The FW48 has passed all mandatory crash tests and will next appear for a filming day in Bahrain on February 10, followed by official pre-season tests from February 11-13 and 18-20. Williams enters 2026 after a strong fifth-place finish in 2025, its best since 2017, with two podiums from Sainz in Baku and Qatar. Vowles tempered expectations, saying the jump to fourth will be 'exponentially more difficult' than prior progress, with no aims for a title fight but steady advancement.
