Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon drove the Williams FW45 in Barcelona

If we will still have to wait almost a month to see the pilots of Formula 1 Ahead of the start of the first race of the year in Melbourne on March 16, the teams have already launched their season. Ferrari caught the light by rolling Charles Leclerc and especially Lewis Hamilton on its Fiorano track on January 22.

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These tests of cars that are at least two years old, called TPCs, are commonplace before the start of a new season and are rarely publicized. Each team is entitled to 20 days dedicated to TPCs per year, often used to put young drivers on the track. The usual incumbents are limited to a maximum of 1000 km over the course of the season, to be spread over a maximum of four days.

Often, it is in the winter that this window is used to allow drivers to get back on track after the end-of-year holiday break. Apart from Ferrari, many teams have chosen to use TPC days, notably Sauber, who were running in Barcelona at the same time as the Scuderia, a few days after a rainy first test at Imola.

Back to school for Sainz and Albon

The two stables have given way to Williams Sunday, which was able to introduce the FW45 to Carlos Sainz, got into the car in the afternoon. This is the Spaniard's second drive in a car Williams after taking part in the test day following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of last season.

Sounds we've missed during winter break 🤩🔉 pic.twitter.com/tOW80zO3il

- Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) February 2, 2025

The former Ferrari driver took over from his new teammate Alex Albon, who had driven in the morning. The two men drove the FW45, the single-seater entered in the 2023 season and with which Alex Albon managed to enter the points seven times to score 27 of the 28 units of his team, 7th in the constructors' standings.

For Williams, launching a TPC programme is a major first: the Grove team had never before "established dedicated TPC program during the modern era of F1" thus emphasizing "progress" made for "building the future" under the leadership of James Vowles.

Williams will present its new single-seater, the FW46, on February 14, a few days before the presentation evening of all the single-seaters in London (February 18) and two weeks before the winter tests in Bahrain (February 26-28).

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