Williams to miss private Barcelona shakedown after car development delays

Williams has pulled out of F1's private testing in Barcelona after delays in getting the FW48 ready.

Credit: Formula One

With the onset of a new era, Formula One teams were hard-pressed to work around the technical directives ahead of one of the biggest regulatory changes in the sport's history. After heavy media speculation, Williams has confirmed that they will not participate in the private testing at Barcelona, as they face delays in their car development programme under these new regulations.

The team's official statement reads: "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."

The announcement comes three days prior to the private test scheduled from 26th to 30th January, where teams will have the opportunity to test out their machinery on track behind closed doors and fine-tune setups ahead of the first public pre-season test in Bahrain from 11th to 13th February.

The team powered by a Mercedes power unit were favourites for topping the mid-field and perhaps even challenging the frontrunners in 2026, but a setback this early in the year will cost them considerable ground compared to their rivals.

After a resurgent 2025 that saw the Grove outfit collect two podiums and comfortbaly secure fifth in the championship, their 2026 hopes now rest upon how the other ten teams stack up in Bahrain, where Williams will undoubtedly be on the backfoot.