How Williams staff reacted in the factory to real reason they’re missing Barcelona shakedown test

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Williams have confirmed that they will miss next week’s official Barcelona shakedown test due to “delays” with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz’s car for F1’s 2026 regulations.

The paddock will convene for the first time in 2026 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a five-day shakedown test on January 26-30. McLaren and Ferrari have confirmed that they will not run on the first day in Barcelona, with teams only able to use three of the five days.

Albon and Sainz will have to wait for the first official pre-season test in Bahrain on February 11-13 to sample their car for the start of the 2026 F1 regulations cycle. Williams announced they will miss the Barcelona shakedown on Friday, and will instead run tests at their factory.

The Grove squad confirmed that their FW48 programme is behind schedule, as fears started to spread that Williams’ chassis built for the 2026 F1 regulations is overweight. But it is now said that their chassis is not their biggest issue, or the reason they will not run in Barcelona.

What impact will Williams missing the Barcelona shakedown test have on their 2026 season?

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Williams staff are not surprised they’ll miss the Barcelona shakedown as their nose cone failed the FIA’s crash test

While Williams’ new chassis is ‘well above’ the minimum 768kg weight, the Brazilian edition of Motorsport.com reports that the Grove squad will miss the Barcelona shakedown as their nose cone has failed the FIA’s mandatory crash tests – not their chassis, as initially feared.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and aero regulations

Williams’ nose cone designed for F1’s new regulations that require a two-stage design to try to reduce the risk of detachment during initial impacts is understood to have failed the FIA’s frontal crash test. Therefore, Williams have not been approved to run their nose on a circuit.

The news that Williams will miss the Barcelona shakedown ‘did not generate much surprise’ among staff inside their factory in Grove. Team members were already well aware that their FW48 project has been behind schedule ‘for quite some time’ before Friday’s confirmation.

Williams risk leaving Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz at a disadvantage in 2026

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The 2026 F1 regulations stipulate that a nose cone must maintain at least 150 millimetres of intact structure after contact, which the FIA tests at 17 metres per second (38mph) and then at 14m/s (31mph). The FIA’s frontal test that Williams have failed generates a peak of 40G.

Williams will now conduct a series of tests in their factory next week, rather than joining the other 10 teams in Barcelona for the official shakedown. The Grove crew will also need their nose cone to pass the FIA’s crash test in time for Albon and Sainz to run in the Bahrain tests.

Albon and Sainz face being left with a disadvantage by missing the Barcelona shakedown, as their rivals begin to understand the energy management that will be required with the 2026 F1 engine rules. F1 has now increased the electrical power split from 20/80 to almost 50/50.