Breaking: Williams explain painful decision behind F1 2026 Barcelona test exit

Williams has explained the painful reasoning why it has opted to withdraw from first pre-season test in Barcelona next week.

As revealed by RacingNews365 earlier today, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Williams has struggled recently to pass the FIA's mandatory crash tests. It is now known that, on this basis, a decision has been made that the team will not take part in the test.

With Williams losing one-third of the total permitted nine days of testing before the season-opener, it means drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz will have, at best, three days each in the FW48 machine across the two Bahrain tests in February. 

A Williams statement read: "Atlassian Williams F1 Team has taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 programme as we continue to push for maximum car performance.

"The team will instead conduct a series of tests, including a VTT [virtual test track] programme next week with the 2026 car, to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the first race of the season in Melbourne.

"We are looking forward to getting on track in the coming weeks and want to thank all our fans for your continued support – there is a lot to look forward to together in 2026."

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