F1 pre-season testing in Barcelona concluded last week. Williams Racing was the only team to miss the shakedown week due to FW48 development delays. Despite not participating on track, team principal James Vowles believes Williams will not start the 2026 season on the back foot.
James Vowles on FW48 development delays and their impact on Williams’ 2026 F1 season
Williams Racing was unfortunate as they could not run their FW48 at the Barcelona shakedown due to development delays, making them the only F1 team in 2026 to face this situation. While their rivals completed laps on the real track, Williams ran a private Virtual Track Testing (VTT) programme. The team is set to return for the pair of official pre-season tests in Bahrain later this month.
At the Williams F1 livery launch, James Vowles said participating in Barcelona was an obvious goal but they fell short of making it.
“I would have much preferred to have been in Barcelona. That was the goal, that was what we were intending to do, and we did not achieve it.”
He further explained that they missed out on collecting real-world track data. This included the aerodynamics of their machinery and the correlations between vehicle dynamics, which only a real track can provide. However, he believes the simulators, being state-of-the-art, helped minimise many of the negative outcomes caused by the delays in development.
“So, there is a loss, but with six days of testing, with our driver-in-loop simulator – that we invested in, is state-of-the-art, and I’m very confident this is the benchmark in the business – up and running at the end of last year, we are able to mitigate a lot of those.”
Simulator work and Mercedes support help Williams offset early-season loss
James Vowles explained the updates heading into the 2026 season and the team’s plans after missing the pre-season testing. He said their Virtual Track Testing (VTT) was successful, with both drivers, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, actively contributing through driver-in-loop sessions.
“However, what we did in terms of a week’s worth of VTT that was successful, and what we’ve been doing with both Carlos [Sainz] and Alex [Albon] on the driver-in-loop simulator in tandem, whilst everyone else was in Barcelona.”
He also added that they were fortunate Mercedes had enough runners and could share information on the gearbox and power unit. The factory team, McLaren and Alpine all completed three days in Barcelona.
This helped Williams, as they will also use the Mercedes power unit, which has proven reliable.
“In addition, and we are fortunate that Mercedes had sufficient runners, so there was quite a bit of information coming back on the gearbox and power unit that enables us to get ahead when we come to Bahrain, means I do not believe with six days of testing we’ll be on the back foot.
“A little bit of that is fortune, because the engine and the power unit is reliable, the gearbox is reliable, and the VTT testing flushed out a lot of the demons that are buried in the car.”
James Vowles on the challenges and goals Ahead for Williams in the 2026 F1 season
The British engineer explained that they are fully aware of the challenges ahead and the obstacles they currently face. He believes moving from fifth to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship will be far more difficult than their previous achievements.
The dominance of the top teams has been apparent for many years now. Mercedes and Red Bull won every championship from 2010-2023, with McLaren joining in over the last couple of seasons. Ferrari are traditionally in the mix as well.
He further outlined that the only way to succeed is by pushing things to the absolute limit and beyond as they attempt to become a F1 giant again.
“We’re not naive about the challenge ahead of us or the challenge that’s amongst us right now,” he commented. “The jump from fifth to fourth is in my experience exponentially more difficult than what we’ve already achieved.
“The only way to achieve that against competitors who themselves are striving and moving forward, is simply by pushing the absolute boundaries and being brave in the decisions you’re making.”
He explained that the team will not fight for the championship this season. Their focus will be on progressing year by year. He expects the early rounds, starting with Melbourne, to be unpredictable and says the team is working hard to prepare for Bahrain testing.
“We don’t expect to be fighting for the championship, but we do expect that 2025 is our new established baseline, and to keep moving the business forward year on year from then onwards.
“Nobody, and I’m sure you realise this as well, really knows what’s going to happen in Melbourne. There’s a development race, and it depends on what parts people bring, but also it looks interesting, certainly in the top five.
“Our key point at the moment is to make sure that we push like mad, catch up, go to Bahrain with our heads held high, and keep moving forward.”
