Absent F1 team 'could have been ready' for testing

Vowles, Williams, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Absent F1 team 'could have been ready' for testing

Williams boss Matt Harmon believes that they could have been ready for the shakedown

By Sam Cook.

Wednesday 28 January 2026 23:00

It has emerged that the Williams F1 team could have attended the private Barcelona shakedown had they pushed the programme at any cost.

The Grove-based team confirmed last week that they would not take part in the opening pre-season test of 2026, as their new car was not yet prepared.

The FW48 had failed to clear the mandatory nosecone test required for all cars, leading Williams to withdraw from the private Barcelona shakedown rather than rush the development of their design.

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F1 is currently in Barcelona for the five-day private shakedown which is not being broadcast on TV, before there are two three-day testing events scheduled for February in Bahrain, which will be televised and will have lap times that are more representative.

Williams will only partake in these, missing valuable track time in Barcelona with the 2026 regulation changes giving all 11 teams a few more headaches than usual heading into the season.

"It's the nosecone test which they haven't passed yet, people are working all hours, multiple people, to try and get this right.

"James Vowles did address the factory, called them together, inform them of a decision made in the middle of last week I'm told not to go to this test, but I guess ultimately the buck stops at him."

What is a shakedown?

A shakedown refers to the first time that teams can properly run their cars on track, like a pre-season health check.

It differs to the official tests that are coming up in Bahrain in that it is away from the eyes of the public, with F1 even cutting data feeds which were showing lap times early in the week.

Teams get the chance to test out all of the new design features on their new cars without limitations, with no maximum limit put on the number of laps that they are allowed to do each day.

They are limited to running on just three of the five days, however, and Aston Martin have already revealed that they'll only use two of those days, while Williams are of course not using any of their allotted three days.

The private shakedown means that the press do not have access, and only a small crew are admitted to film content for teams and drivers.

Nevertheless, Sky Sports will be on hand to guide viewers through the Barcelona shakedown, with a testing highlights show broadcast on their Sky Sports F1 channel at 9pm each night. Also keep an eye on their socials for live reaction a little earlier than that.

F1 Williams pre-season testing