Williams' FW48 takes to the track for the first time at Silverstone

This is a moment we've been waiting for, and it's been a long time coming. The FW48 should have been on land for several weeks now, having covered a few dozen kilometers at Silverstone to prepare for joining the other ten teams on the grid in Barcelona for the joint shakedown scheduled for January 26-30.

Finally, it was only on February 4th that the FW48 took to the track, after being notably absent from the Catalan week. The reason: a failure during its FIA safety testing, as well as the need for the British team to take some steps back in their development to identify and resolve the problem before the Bahrain tests, from February 11th to 13th.

It's now a done deal for James Vowles' team, who were finally able to get their car rolling. car Wednesday, February 4th at Silverstone. "It was a key day for us and it's always a moment of great pride to see a new car take to the track for the first time," appreciates the British team principal. “The team rallied fully under pressure and delivered the car today for this planned promotional day here at Silverstone. This allowed us to better understand our package ahead of Bahrain next week, and both Carlos and Alex were able to give us positive feedback to guide us, while also identifying a few minor points to correct before then. The work isn't finished – this is just the beginning and there's still a lot to come.”

Williams is headed to Bahrain

This test session took place the day after the presentation of the 2026 livery to the 1,200 team members at the factory. Whole grainedHowever, the FW48 appeared in a different livery: the "Flow State" design, chosen by fans in a December vote that garnered 55,000 votes. This livery was originally intended for use during the week in Barcelona.

"It's always an exciting and special day for the drivers, mechanics and the whole team, and everyone put in a huge amount of work to get the car on track today." welcomes Carlos Sainz. "It was a typical winter day at Silverstone, so we focused on our first few laps and sticking to the shakedown program. We're ready to fly to Bahrain in a few days, where we'll get into more comprehensive running plans."

"Obviously, there is some data to analyze and points to improve, but overall the day went well." Alex's analysis Albon. “We had decent weather for Silverstone at this time of year and I’m delighted to have finally gotten behind the wheel and driven the FW48. Our focus is now entirely on Bahrain, with data analysis and preparations for the start of the season.”

Now, the focus shifts to the two test sessions in Bahrain, from February 11 to 13 and then from February 18 to 20.

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