Williams F1 team finally hit the track after testing no show

Williams

Williams F1 team finally hit the track after testing no show

Williams have finally taken to the track!

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 5 February 2026 11:56 Updated: 15:54

Williams have finally taken their 2026 F1 car out on track, meaning that we have now seen all 11 teams in action with their new machinery.

Williams unveiled their FW48 car design earlier this week, following a couple of delays in the production of the car which made them miss out on the first pre-season testing event of the year in Barcelona.

Team principal James Vowles revealed that the car was yet to pass a couple of key tests, and so Williams opted to sit out that five-day shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

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Nevertheless, they still have six full days of testing available to them, with two official pre-season testing events taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit later this month.

And now, before those official tests get underway, Williams have taken their car out on track for the first time, completing some laps around the Silverstone track.

Both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz drove the car around the circuit, although the team were limited in the amount of mileage that they could do due to the fact that it wasn't an official test.

Vowles confirmed the running of the FW48, hailing a 'milestone moment' in a post on X.

"A milestone moment as we saw the FW48 in action for the first time today," he said. "A very proud day for the whole team but the push isn't over yet - this is just the beginning. We will give it everything."

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What are Williams' realistic goals in 2026?

Following a brilliant 2025 season, the general feeling around the Grove-based outfit was one of positivity, but that feeling seems to have waned over the last few weeks with the delays in the 2026 car.

Last year, Williams finished fifth in the constructors' championship, and claimed more than one grand prix podium in a season for the first time since 2017, with Sainz grabbing two grand prix podiums and a sprint race podium.

Williams have one of the most talented driver lineups on the entire grid, and the 2026 regulation changes could well be an opportunity for them to challenge more closely to the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari.

However, Vowles has already stated that if they could have a repeat of the fifth-place constructors' championship finish from 2025 then that would be a good achievement for the Grove-based team in 2026, before then pushing on in the upcoming years of the regulation reset.

Williams could be helped by the fact that they've got a Mercedes power unit in the back of their cars, with Mercedes understood to be the team best placed to master the new power unit regulations.

F1 Carlos Sainz Williams Alex Albon pre-season testing James Vowles