The Williams team of Grove put the FW48 on track for the first time today during a filming day at Silverstone. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon finally had the chance to test the 2026 Williams car, providing the first feedback on the FW48. The next event for the team will be the Bahrain activities next week.
At the Sakhir circuit, the British team will arrive ahead of other teams. An additional filming day, already the second of the season, has been scheduled for the day before the second phase of winter testing. Williams is using these extra 200 kilometers available for the 2026 season, returning to the track on February 10.
Initial impressions of the Williams FW48
Immediately after unveiling the official livery, the team put the car on track to carry out the first checks. Rivals have already completed several laps in Barcelona, and Williams aims to make up some of the lost time. During this first session with the FW48, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon shared their early impressions of the 2026 car.
“The shakedown is done. Of course, there is some data to analyze and areas to improve, but overall it was a fairly smooth day,” Alex Albon admitted. “We had decent weather for Silverstone at this time of year, and I’m happy to finally be in the car and driving the FW48. Now our full focus is on Bahrain, analyzing the data and preparing for the start of the season.”
The Spanish driver managed to reach the podium with Williams in 2025, and the goal is to continue the upward trend seen in recent periods. Issues reported during the winter break caused delays in the project, but now the season is taking a different path with the car ready.
“We just completed our first laps with the FW48. It’s always an exciting and special day for the drivers, mechanics, and the entire team, and everyone put in a huge effort to get the car on track today,” Carlos added. “It was a typical winter day at Silverstone, so we focused on completing our initial laps and finishing the shakedown program. We are ready to fly to Bahrain in a few days, where we will tackle more comprehensive testing plans, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
The first feedback from Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz suggests a cautiously optimistic start for the Williams FW48 despite the development delays that kept the team away from Barcelona. By banking these initial miles at Silverstone and planning an immediate follow-up session in Sakhir, the team is doing everything possible to ensure the 2026 car is reliable for the start of the season. The success of the FW48 will depend on how effectively the team can translate this early driver feedback into performance gains during the critical Bahrain testing window.
Leave a Reply