Williams F1 team make 2026 debut

Sam Cook Thursday 5 February 2026 17:04

Credit: Williams x New Era. Promotional shot of Sainz and Albon in the new 2026 Williams F1 kit made by New Era

Williams have made their 2026 debut, taking their new F1 car out on track for the first time.

Williams missed the first pre-season testing event in Barcelona last month, with the private shakedown coming too soon for their FW48.

Team principal James Vowles admitted that there were a couple of tests that the team had not passed in time, and that they did not want to rush it.

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.

"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."

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 James Vowles pre-season testing