Williams reveals 2026 livery as FW48 completes filming day in Bahrain

Williams took to the Bahrain International Circuit with its FW48 sporting the team's full 2026 race livery, utilizing a filming day to gain crucial track time after missing the official pre-season shakedown. Team Principal James Vowles has expressed confidence in the car's design, calling it the best produced during his tenure, as the team prepares for the start of official testing.

Why it matters:

Every lap before official testing is critical for teams to validate systems and gather data. For Williams, which missed the Barcelona shakedown due to delays in the FW48 program, this filming day represents valuable lost time recovered. The session also serves as the public debut of the team's color scheme for the new season, a traditional blue with white accents.

The details:

• The team completed a 200-kilometer filming day at the Sakhir circuit, equivalent to 36 laps, which is the maximum distance permitted for such promotional runs.
• This follows a unique-liveried shakedown at Silverstone earlier in the month and compensates for missing the closed-door Barcelona test.
• Team Principal James Vowles has publicly backed the FW48's design, stating it is "the best I’ve seen us produce here," while cautiously noting that lap time competitiveness remains to be seen in Bahrain.
• The livery revealed is the team's official race design for 2026, ditching the special shakedown scheme for a predominantly blue identity with white sections towards the rear of the car.

What's next:

All focus now shifts to the start of official pre-season testing in Bahrain on Wednesday. The three-day test will provide the first true comparative data on the FW48's performance against its rivals. Williams will be keen to understand if their design philosophy and the time spent refining the car during its delay translate into a stronger starting point for the 2026 season.