Williams\u2019 2026 Formula 1 car has broken cover for the first time for a shakedown at Silverstone, having missed the first pre-season test in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
The Grove-based outfit enjoyed its strongest season in a decade last year, as it stormed to fifth in the constructors\u2019 standings.<\/p>\n
The team also scored a brace of late-season podiums courtesy of Carlos Sainz on its way to its best championship position since 2016.<\/p>\n
As such, the Williams<\/a> team came into the new car rule cycle with a lot of expectation on its shoulders to keep that momentum up.<\/p>\n However, the FW48 has endured a troubled winter so far, after Williams missed the pre-season Barcelona shakedown test late last month.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n It was the only team not to carry out any running.<\/p>\n The reason given was production delays in the new car, though there was speculation that the FW48 had failed its crash tests and was now significantly over the minimum weight limit in a bid to pass the FIA mandate.<\/p>\n Team boss James Vowles denied that there was a significant weight issue, however, but did acknowledge earlier this that Williams wouldn\u2019t know for sure where it is in terms of car weight until it was able to track test it properly.<\/p>\n Williams has passed the crash tests and will be on track next week in Bahrain for the first official outing on 11-13 February.<\/p>\n Ahead of this, the team completed a shakedown test at Silverstone on Wednesday with the FW48.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n There are no details on the run plan, though teams are only permitted to 200km of running during shakedowns.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Williams unveiled the livery for its 2026 challenger in an online launch.<\/a><\/p>\n