Williams Racing has unveiled its 2026 Formula 1 livery after setbacks in generating its new car, the FW48, left the group not able to sign up for the hole preseason take a look at in Barcelona ultimate week. Instead of the predicted season release occasion at its factory, the British group held a scaled-lower back livery monitor attended through group members, with the automobile itself final below wraps because of ongoing construction.
The newly discovered layout maintains Williams’ conventional blue tones, now complemented through white and lighter blue shades, symbolizing the group’s new partnership with Barclays further to long-status sponsor Atlassian. The unveiling comes after a full-size shift withinside the group’s priorities, which noticed Williams pivot its improvement consciousness early closer to the 2026 season following its fifth-location end in ultimate year’s constructors’ championship. Team Principal James Vowles recounted the demanding situations as a result of the manufacturing put off, describing the jump required to breach the sport’s pinnacle 4 groups as “exponentially greater difficult.”
“We do not assume to be preventing for the championship in 2026, however we need to set up 2025 as our new base,” Vowles emphasised all through the release. He defined that constructing the FW48 to a general able to competing with Formula 1’s frontrunners turned into proving a hard task, with a few factors of the automobile nevertheless lagging at the back of however others displaying actual promise. “There are bits of the automobile which can be championship level, and others which have a protracted manner to go.”
Williams’ absence from the Barcelona take a look at manner the group overlooked treasured on-tune data, however Vowles expressed self belief of their widespread digital checking out program. Moreover, the group expects to capitalize on training discovered from electricity unit associate Mercedes, whose engines logged the best mileage all through the tests. “I could tons as a substitute have run in Barcelona, however I’m now no longer concerned. The digital tune checking out and Mercedes partnership deliver us a robust role going into Bahrain,” Vowles commented, downplaying the instant effect of lacking the primary take a look at.
Vowles additionally pressured that the put off has furnished an possibility for the group to re-examine and overhaul inner processes. “The tremendous final results is that the setbacks have uncovered regions for full-size improvement, which we’ll address immediately,” he said. The organizational review, stimulated through demanding situations encountered all through the automobile’s gradual manufacturing, displays Williams’ broader ambition to apply disasters as a way for growth. As Williams prepares to sign up for the following take a look at in Bahrain, the group stays centered on long-time period progress, proceeding to put a more potent basis for years yet to come no matter the murky outlook for 2026’s grid hierarchy.
