Williams to miss Barcelona test after new car delays

Williams has announced it will not take part in the Barcelona shakedown next week after suffering from delays with its 2026 car.

All 11 teams are allowed to run on any three of the five days from Monday to Friday next week, as part of a private shakedown to carry out initial track tests on their new cars. With brand-new regulations for both the power unit and aerodynamics, all-new chassis are required and Williams now says it will not be ready in time to run in Spain.

“Atlassian Williams F1 Team has taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 program as we continue to push for maximum car performance,” a Williams spokesperson said. “The team will instead conduct a series of tests including a VTT [virtual track test] program 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.”

RACER understands Williams has yet to pass its final crash test relating to its nosebox, with such approval mandatory before a car is allowed to run on track during any pre-season testing. While the team could have engineered a compromise to complete the outstanding test and be present in Barcelona, it has prioritized further car development, with two further pre-season testing opportunities to follow.

Williams will be the only Mercedes-powered team not taking part in Barcelona, with Alpine and Mercedes both launching their new cars after initial running at Silverstone this week. McLaren has yet to hit the track and says it will not take part in the opening day, but plans on first appearance on either Tuesday or Wednesday in Spain.

Teams still have two pre-season tests in Bahrain to follow in February, running for three days each from Feb. 11-13 and 18-20. The first race of the season is on March 8 in Australia.

Topics

williams f1 team

fw48

2026 formula 1

barcelona shakedown

bahrain testing

melbourne grand prix

mercedes

alpine

mclaren

Formula 1

Chris Medland

While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.

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