Williams shakedown: Alex Albon admits “tough months, not the start we wanted”. Williams finally hit the track with the FW48 at Silverstone.

Thailand’s Alex Albon shared his thoughts on X about Williams’ challenging start to the 2026 season, following the team’s absence from the Barcelona shakedown.

Finally on track

Yesterday, Williams finally hit the track at Silverstone, officially kicking off their 2026 season. It has not been an easy start for the Grove-based team, which surprisingly missed the Barcelona shakedown, failing to attend the three days of track activity they were entitled to. Issues with the FW48 project slowed down the team’s preparations for the new season, delivering a cold shower for James Vowles’ squad. After an excellent 2025—finishing as the fifth fastest team on the grid and scoring two podiums—Williams had high hopes that the technical regulation changes would bring them even closer to the front of the field.

At the end of the first day at Silverstone, during which the brand-new British car completed its first kilometers, Alex Albon shared his reflections on X, acknowledging the difficulties of the past few weeks while also thanking the team for their efforts.

Albon thanks the team

“I completed the first laps with the FW48. It’s not the start to the season we wanted,” wrote the Thai driver. “But it’s fantastic to be back behind the wheel. This does not define our season. Congratulations to everyone at Grove for the commitment and determination that allowed us to get here today at Silverstone after some tough months. Next stop, Bahrain. Let’s make this year fantastic.”

In Sakhir, the hope is that everything will go smoothly and that Williams can accumulate as many kilometers as possible, aiming to close the gap that inevitably began to form with the other teams who were able to run their cars in Barcelona.

The resilience shown by the Williams staff to get the FW48 on track at Silverstone is a testament to the team’s spirit, but the true test of their 2026 ambitions will come under the floodlights of Bahrain. Alex Albon’s message of “determination” sets the tone for a team that, despite the early setbacks, is clearly not ready to write off its season before the first lights go out in Melbourne.