Williams Reclaims Lost Mileage, Says Sainz, but Work Remains
Carlos Sainz says Williams has recovered mileage lost after skipping the Barcelona shakedown, with the FW48 running reliably in Bahrain testing, but the team still has many performance gaps to close.
Williams has managed to claw back the mileage it lost after missing the private shakedown in Barcelona, says driver Carlos Sainz. In Bahrain's pre‑season testing the FW48 has proven reliable, giving the team a data foundation, but Sainz warns that many performance areas still need work.
Why it matters
Missing the Barcelona shakedown cost Williams a full day of private data collection and set‑up experimentation, putting the team behind rivals early in the development calendar. Recovering mileage now restores a baseline of lap‑time information, allowing engineers to start closing the performance gap before the season opens.
The details
- Skipped the Barcelona shakedown, losing a crucial day of private testing.
- In Bahrain the squad logged extensive mileage over two weeks, prioritising reliability first.
- The FW48 has run without major mechanical failures, letting engineers map its limits.
- Sainz notes a broader "set‑up window" after adapting to calmer wind conditions compared with the windy first week.
- Significant performance gaps remain, especially in extracting outright lap‑time and fine‑tuning aerodynamics.
What's next
Williams will shift from pure mileage accumulation to targeted performance work, chasing faster lap times and a clearer aerodynamic optimum. The data gathered in Bahrain will feed the first in‑season upgrades, and the team hopes to translate reliability into consistent points‑scoring pace when the championship kicks off.