Williams to Miss Barcelona Shakedown as 2026 Car Development Hits Delay
By Jamie Ryan
It was confirmed earlier today that Williams will not be attending the first major pre-season running in the Barcelona shakedown test next week.
In a statement, Atlassian Williams F1 Team said the decision not to take part was driven by a commitment to “maximum car performance”. The team will instead run a series of internal tests, that will include Virtual Test Track simulations, as they continue development work.
While not fully disastrous, it is still far from the ideal case scenario given is the time when teams tend to do their system checks and get any easy fixes out of the way behind closed doors and ahead of actual testing in Bahrain.
The decision comes amid delays in getting the team’s new FW48 car ready for track action, a setback that could disrupt their usual preparation routine ahead of the season opener.
Missing the shakedown doesn’t rule out Williams being competitive, but it does significantly reduce their ability to uncover any underlying reliability issues in a low-pressure setting.
The team has however reassured fans and partners that the delay is part of their plan to get the FW48 right, and remains optimistic about the campaign ahead. The last time that Williams missed a shakedown test – was 2019, and fans of the British team will be hoping that 2026 is not a repeat of that disastrous year.
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