Day 1 of the second week of track action in Sakhir has drawn to a close. The teams now have just two days remaining before they begin their final preparations for Melbourne, the season-opening Grand Prix of the 2026 season. Williams is beginning to find a positive rhythm during these Bahrain tests, a sentiment confirmed by Team Principal James Vowles.
It is worth remembering that the historic British squad did not take part in the collective shakedown in Barcelona, effectively losing valuable track time compared to their direct rivals. The project from the Grove-based outfit appeared to be slightly behind schedule, but the delay was reportedly linked to a design approach focused on extreme technical details and marginal gains.
Despite the delayed start to their pre-season, once the team arrived in Bahrain, they worked tirelessly to close the gap. Both drivers have logged a significant number of laps to gather as much data as possible and to pull level with the competition in terms of system checks and aerodynamic mapping.
Vowles analyzes Williams’ progress
The team has been able to rely on the solid reliability already demonstrated by Mercedes during the kilometers covered in Barcelona. Building on this sturdy power unit foundation, it has been possible to shift the focus almost immediately to the outright performance of the FW48. Williams concluded Day 1 of the second week of Bahrain testing by confirming the positive feedback stemming from the program completed by their driver pairing.
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, taking to the track in the morning and afternoon sessions respectively, completed 55 laps each. In total, including the distance covered last week, the car has clocked up 2,879 kilometers so far.
“It was a productive day today. It’s great to see us completing a good number of laps,” James Vowles highlighted. “We completed different programs from the morning to the afternoon, with Carlos focusing on high-fuel runs while Alex looked at a range of setup items that we carried forward into the afternoon.”
After detailing the technical work carried out, the former Mercedes strategy chief also stated the primary objective for the remainder of the test: “It’s a good baseline and we’ve found a sensible direction. Now we need to show that it’s repeatable in all conditions over the next two days. This week is very much focused on how to extract the maximum from the package in preparation for Melbourne, so we will continue to develop the setup ahead of the first race.”
The methodical progress seen in the Williams garage suggests that the initial worries regarding their late start are being replaced by a quiet confidence. By leveraging the reliability of the Mercedes powertrain, Vowles and his engineering team are successfully transitioning from basic reliability checks to the fine-tuning required for a competitive showing in Australia. As the FW48 continues to rack up the miles, the focus on race-specific preparation indicates that Williams intends to be fully up to speed by the time the lights go out at Albert Park.
The opening day of the final Bahrain test has shown a resilient Williams team that is successfully pivoting toward race performance, with James Vowles emphasizing that while the start was delayed, the current focus on setup repeatability and high-fuel consistency is exactly what the team needs to be ready for the season opener in Melbourne.
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