James Vowles shares ‘frustrated’ Carlos Sainz’s private message after Williams missed Barcelona test

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James Vowles has confirmed that Williams will be ready for the first of two pre-season tests in Bahrain after Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz missed the shakedown in Barcelona.

Formula 1 is staging a private test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week to give the 11 teams a chance to resolve any reliability problems with their cars for the new regulations. But Williams confirmed they would miss the Barcelona shakedown after the team hit delays.

Williams bet heavily on the 2026 F1 regulations at an early stage, as the Grove natives made the new aero and chassis rules their priority earlier than most rivals during 2025. Yet reports have emerged that Williams failed the FIA’s frontal crash test and their chassis is overweight.

The word that Williams’ chassis is considerably overweight is now said to be exaggerated. It has also passed all of the necessary FIA crash tests, allowing Williams to prepare to put their 2026 car on track for the first time when F1 travels to Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20.

Carlos Sainz’s ‘first question’ after Williams missed the Barcelona shakedown was how he could help

Williams team boss Vowles made the decision that Albon and Sainz would not take any part in the Barcelona shakedown, as featuring in the behind-closed-doors test would have risked leaving them short on parts at the early rounds as their production had fallen “a bit behind”.

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

Vowles admits that Sainz was naturally “frustrated” about Williams having to miss the entire Barcelona shakedown. But Vowles admired the Spaniard’s immediate response to the news, as he straight away assured the Williams chief that he is “here with you” and willing to help.

Vowles told Mundo Deportivo: “From the moment I called Carlos, his first question was, ‘What can I do to help? I’m here with you and I support you’.

“He’s just as frustrated as I am. We’re here to race or test at the moment, or to do a shakedown, given the current situation.”

Mercedes’ engine reliability at the Barcelona shakedown will give Williams some comfort

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

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Williams missing the entirety of the Barcelona shakedown will leave Albon and Sainz behind the curve by the time they take to the track for pre-season testing in Bahrain. While a few of their rivals like Audi and Haas have hit reliability problems, others are racking up the miles.

At least Mercedes and fellow engine customer teams Alpine and McLaren can offer Williams a sliver of comfort. The Silver Arrows’ new power unit for the new regulations has proven to be very reliable in Montmelo, which Williams will hope allows them to run freely in Bahrain.

Williams have also conducted a number of virtual tests with their 2026 car at their factory in Grove, which should at least offer them some data they can use to hit the ground running in Sakhir. Albon and Sainz will want to record as many laps as possible to make up for lost time.