Williams to miss first F1 test of 2026 with cars not ready for five-day showdown in Barcelona | F1 News

Williams will miss the first pre-season test of the 2026 Formula 1 season after failing to prepare its car for the Barcelona event.

Rumors surfaced on Thursday that the car had failed the necessary crash test to take part in the five-day event at the Barcelona-Catalonia circuit from January 26-30.

The team released a statement on Friday confirming their absence from the first event but expected to be ready for the second test event in Bahrain from February 11-13.

The team said: “Atlassian Williams F1 Team has taken the decision not to take part in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FV48 program as we continue to push for the car’s maximum performance.

“The team will instead conduct a series of tests including the VTT program 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 look forward to hitting the road in the coming weeks and want to thank all our fans for your continued support – we have a lot to look forward to together in 2026.”

More to come…

When is F1 pre-season testing?

The introduction of the new regulations means there is a tight schedule of three separate tests before the start of the 2026 season.

The first is a behind-closed-doors event in Barcelona from 26-30 January, before two tests in Bahrain from 11-13 and 18-20 February.

When is the first F1 race?

The teams then have two weeks to prepare for the first round of the season, which is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 6-8.

The first practice session of the season will take place on Friday 6 March, with qualifying on Saturday 7 March and the opening race on Sunday 8 March.

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