US EditionF1 2026: Williams to miss opening pre-season test due to delay in car development
- After hitting delays with its new car, Atlassian Williams F1 Team will miss next week's Barcelona shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the team said.
- The Barcelona shakedown is the season's first on-track chance for 2026 cars built to new engine and chassis regulations and runs without media or fans to help teams debug.
- Williams will instead conduct a virtual track testing programme next week with the 2026 car to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the season opener in Melbourne.
- Missing the shakedown reduces Williams' chances to debug the FW48 on track while other teams gain data, which may affect Williams' on-track running and readiness for official tests and season opener.
- The team said `We are looking forward to getting on track in the coming weeks...` and will conduct tests for the 2026 car to prepare for the season, despite delays.
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45 Articles
The Season Hasn’t Started, But One F1 Team Is Already Having Major Struggles
With new regulations hitting Formula 1 this season, all teams are on an even footing to start the year.Well, except one, who just announced a major setback before ever turning a single lap.On Friday, Williams announced that they will not be participating in shakedown testing next week in Barcelona. This three-day session is meant to give teams a little extra track time due to the new rules before the standard testing sessions in Bahrain next mon…
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Boston HeraldGROVE, England (AP) — Williams will miss Formula One's first preseason tests next week in Barcelona after reporting "delays" in preparing its car for the season. Williams said Friday it still has "a lot to look forward to" despite the setback ahead of next week's five-day test. It will be the first time the 2026-spec cars have been on track for more than brief filming and reliability tests.
The Atlassian Williams team will not participate in the preseason shakedown to be held next week at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, first staged in the new Formula 1 era due to the late development of its single-seater by 2026 and the team's decision to prioritize the car's performance.
Formula 1 is faced with great uncertainty, new cars, new rules and new opportunities are available for the 2026 season. Williams, however, is missing the decisive thing: the traditional racing stable will be missing in the first tests.
Actually Williams wanted to test like all other teams of the "king class" also in Barcelona. But now something has come up with the British.
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