The 2026 Formula 1 season, complete with sweeping regulation changes, begins unofficially next week with a private testing session in Barcelona for all 11 teams. This closed-door session is the first of three pre-season testing events before the 2026 season begins, a first chance for the teams to put their new designs through the paces as they prepare for the new year, and the impact of the new regulations.
F1 news: Williams pulls out of Barcelona shakedown ahead of 2026 season
Williams is opting out of next week’s F1 Barcelona shakedown
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But now one team is completely pulling out of that closed-door session.
In a statement shared on social media Friday, Williams announced that they have “taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 [program] as we continue to push for maximum car performance:”
According to the team, they will conduct additional testing in advance of the second pre-season testing period. In addition to next week’s Barcelona shakedown, F1 has scheduled two pre-season testing sessions in Bahrain for next month.
Williams is not the first team to make an adjustment for next week’s Barcelona shakedown. Earlier this week McLaren announced that they would not be participating in the first day of that testing period, to allow for additional development time.
“We plan to start testing either in day two or day three [of the Barcelona Shakedown], so we will not be testing in day one. We wanted to give ourselves as much time as possible for development,” explained McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella.
The 2026 F1 season officially begins with the Australian Grand Prix, slated for March 8.
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