Williams’ FW48 Formula 1 car takes to the track following setbacks.

The new Williams Formula 1 vehicle, which was unable to participate in the initial week of preseason testing due to production delays, has finally taken to the track during a filming day at Silverstone on Wednesday.

Williams was the sole team absent from last week’s shakedown test in Barcelona after it could not prepare its 2026 car, the FW48, in time.

To compensate for the lost time, the team undertook a comprehensive virtual track testing program before the car’s debut at Wednesday’s promotional filming day at Silverstone, with both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz taking turns behind the wheel.

This also allowed Williams to showcase the fan-voted interim testing livery that it had intended to use in Barcelona. The team unveiled its more subdued race livery on Tuesday of this week.

Williams has announced plans for a second promotional filming day in Bahrain on February 10, the day prior to the commencement of the second group test session of the year at the same venue.

Teams are restricted to 200km during promotional filming days and must utilize a specific type of tire that differs from F1’s race tires.

“This was a significant day for us, and it is always a proud moment to see a new car on track for the first time,” stated team principal James Vowles. “The team has truly united under the pressure of the situation and delivered a car today for a scheduled promotional filming day here at Silverstone.

“We were able to gain further insights into our package in preparation for Bahrain next week, and Carlos and Alex provided some constructive feedback to guide us, while also pinpointing a few minor issues for us to address before then.

“The effort isn’t finished yet – this is merely the start, and there is more ahead of us.”

The inaugural race of the 2026 season is set to occur on March 8 in Melbourne, Australia.

Source: espn.com