Williams, Vowles stops hiding: “The Barcelona test was the objective, we wanted to be there”

Williams presents the 2026 F1 single-seater Williams, a notable absentee from the F1 tests in Barcelona, ​​showed itself to the world for the first time in the early afternoon of February 3, albeit with 3D renderings in which the suspensions were not designed correctly. In addition to being proof of how much the virtual images of the presentations can differ from the real cars, it is another example of the secrecy that almost all the teams are trying to maintain towards the public and their rivals, although in the technical data sheet of the new FW48 it is made clear that the front suspension will be pull-rod with a push-rod at the rear. Beyond the technical issues, in post-presentation interviews team principal James Vowles admitted some dissatisfaction at not being able to take part in the week of on-stage testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. James Vowles’ admission “I would have much preferred to be in Barcelona – explains the Williams F1 team principal, quoted by colleagues from Motorsport.com – and that was our objective. It was what we intended to do but we didn’t succeed. However, we are lucky that Mercedes has a certain number of drivers and that it has still collected some data on both the gearbox and the power unit, which today allows us to move forward with development by planning our debut in Bahrain. For this reason, I don’t think that with just six days of testing we will really be at a disadvantage compared to the others. What we lack, however, is the knowledge acquired by the drivers on the track, as well as verifying the real correlation between our aerodynamics and the dynamics of the car on the circuit. And the only way to collect this data is to go out on the track.” “So there is a loss – continues James Vowles – but with six days of testing and with our driver-in-loop simulator, which has been operational since last year and in which we have invested heavily to make it state-of-the-art today, we are able to mitigate much of this loss”. A loss linked to the rumored failure of the crash tests imposed by the FIA ​​but which however is further reduced by the possibility of developing the mechanical and aerodynamic components until the last moment before the Bahrain tests: “We stopped the development of the 2025 car very early, but what we need to make sure we do is postpone the decisions relating to the chassis, the front and rear wing, the floor and the bodywork of the Williams F1 as much as possible, in order to make the most of all the advantages of the development”.