Williams has achieved a major step in the development of its 2026 Formula 1 challenger, but still faces ongoing issues that will hinder its performance, according to reports.
The Grove-based squad announced on Friday that it opted to skip the entirety of this week’s behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona to focus on continuing development of the FW48.
Reports then followed suggesting that it had so far failed three of the mandatory FIA crash tests, and that the chassis is currently between 20 and 30 kilograms overweight.
This would be a huge setback as there could be a hefty financial domino effect caused by rectifying the problems, with money from the cost cap that surely would have gone into later-season development and upgrades.
But it appears that some of the issues have now been resolved, with reports coming from Italian publication Auto Racer stating that it has now passed a crash test.
However, the report continues that the weight is still an issue, with the team presumably shifting its focus onto that ahead of the next testing schedule in Bahrain.
News of the withdrawal and the causes for it was a major blow for the team, which had, amongst certain circles, been dubbed as potential dark horses for the new season.
Williams performed better than it had for several years in 2025, consistently clocking up points between both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, helping it to a fifth-placed finish in the Constructors’ Championship.
READ MORE – The F1 test absence that could spell hurt for Williams in 2026
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