The Williams 2026 Formula 1 car, the FW48 hits the track at Silverstone

Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz shared driving duties as the team gathered its first data from the all new car, which ran in the Flow State livery selected by fans as part of Williams’ global testing campaign. While the mileage was limited by filming day regulations, the outing marked the official start of Williams’ on track programme for the new season.

The Silverstone run also served as the public debut for a number of new partners featured on the FW48, including Barclays, Claude, BNY, Wilkinson Sword and Nuveen, underlining the team’s expanding commercial platform as it continues its long term rebuild.

Albon described a productive opening day saying: “That’s shakedown done. Obviously a few bits of data to look at and areas to improve, but generally a fairly smooth day.

"We had decent weather for Silverstone at this time of year and glad to finally be in the car and driving the FW48. Our full focus is on Bahrain now, looking at the data and getting ready for the start of the season.”

Sainz echoed the sense of momentum after his first laps in Williams colours, and added: “We just had our first laps in the FW48. It’s always an exciting, special day for the drivers, the mechanics and the entire team and it’s been a great effort from everyone to get the car on track today.

"It was a typical winter day at Silverstone, so we focused on getting in our first few laps and completing our shakedown plan. We are ready to fly to Bahrain in a few days where we’ll dive into more complete run plans, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Team Principal James Vowles framed the day as a key checkpoint rather than a conclusion, he commented: “This was a milestone day for us and it is always a very proud moment to see a new car on track for the first time.

"The team has absolutely pulled together under the pressure of the situation and delivered a car today for a planned promotional filming day here at Silverstone.

"We were able to understand more about our package in preparation for Bahrain next week, and Carlos and Alex were able to provide some positive feedback to direct us, while also identifying some minor issues for us to clean up between now and then.

"The push is not over yet. This is just the beginning and there is more in front of us," Vowles concluded.

Williams will complete a second filming day in Bahrain on 10 February, before the first official Formula 1 pre season test begins the following day at the same venue.