Williams has finally revealed their challenger for the 2026 Formula 1 season, the FW48. The Grove outfit was the only team that opted out of the Barcelona Shakedown last week at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after announcing that the FW48 was not ready to take to the track. This heightened expectations for Williams’s challenger in the upcoming Formula 1 season, following the team’s success in 2025.
Williams is gearing up to enter a new era
The newly revealed chassis is predominantly covered in a striking glossy blue, Williams’ iconic colour. The blue is contrasted with details in black running throughout the side of the FW48. A key detail of the new livery is the red and white keyline, which frames the rear of the car. This design pays homage to past championship-winning Williams car such as the FW14B, which was driven by Nigel Mansell in 1992, and Damon Hill’s FW18, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Another significant design change is the addition of white across the sidepod, front and rear wings, signifying the team’s movement and energy while highlighting their partners.
William had designed their 2026 challenger around the new regulatory chassis for the 2026 season in accordance with the new technical regulations.
Team Principal of Williams, James Vowles, spoke on the team’s efforts leading up to the upcoming season and shared his hopes for the team in 2026.
“2026 is the next step on the path back towards the top for Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we enter a new era for the sport, and we are excited about the season ahead. We have a great driver line up, some fantastic new partners, an ever-growing fanbase and want to build on the success we tasted last year, but we are not naïve about the challenge ahead of us. Nobody quite knows what will happen at the first race but we are looking forward to finding out, and hope our fans will love cheering us on with this great new livery.”
Building on their success
The 2025 Formula 1 season marked Williams’ strongest performing season in recent years. The team saw a vast improvement in speed and performance as they rose to the top 5 in the Constructors’ Championship, their highest finish since 2017. Williams was also able to return to the podium with their latest signing, Carlos Sainz.
The Grove outfit concluded the 2025 Formula 1 season with an impressive finish in 5th and a total of 137 points scored by both drivers. Williams driver Sainz also made two podium appearances during the 24-round calendar. It was evident that Williams is on the right track, as they were able to outperform their 2024 season performance, where they finished 9th in the Standings with only 17 points.
Amid the new technical regulations, Williams will be looking to build upon the foundations set from the season prior in 2026. The Grove outfit was yet another team that decided to prioritise resources for the 2026 technical regulation overhaul. They will be hoping the risk was worth taking as they enter the upcoming season. Their 2025 performance will serve as encouragement for the team to strive for higher results.
Williams’ 2026 driver lineup
Williams will enter the 2026 Formula 1 season with the same driver lineup made up of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. This will be the second season of this driver lineup, and both drivers will be looking to impress.
Albon will be entering his fifth campaign with Williams in 2026. The Thai-British driver had made his return to the grid with the team in 2022 following a one-year hiatus after being dropped by Red Bull Racing. Since signing with Williams, Albon has served as a core member of the team and its success thus far. He has continued to maximise the potential of the Williams car season after season and brought in a majority of the team’s points each year.
The 2025 Formula 1 season was no different, with Albon contributing most to the tally during the first half of the season. The Thai-British driver’s loyalty to the Grove outfit was rewarded as the team was able to make impressive progress in their chassis, allowing him to have his best career start to the season. Despite this, Albon was still subjected to a fair share of misfortune as he faced a total of four DNFs during the season. This included a consecutive run of retirements across three weekends for the Thai-Brition.
Albon concluded the 2025 F1 season 8th in the Drivers’ Standings, his strongest finish to date. The Thai-British driver will be looking to build on the momentum and maximise his potential in the new chassis. He will also have his eyes set on his maiden podium finish with Williams in 2026.
On the other side of the garage is Sainz, who will be entering his sophomore season with Williams in 2026. The 2025 Formula 1 season was one of ups and downs for the Spanish driver as he had to learn to adapt to his new team following his departure from Ferrari. The second half of the season was when Sainz was able to showcase more of his speed and racecraft once he found his footing in the team. However, Sainz faced similar technical issues to his teammate Albon, also recording a total of four DNFs during the season. Nevertheless, his progression with the team throughout the season is promising as the team enters the new era of technical regulations in 2026.
The Spanish driver delivered the team’s first podium since 2021 at the 2025 Azerbaijan GP with a dominant finish in 3rd. The weekend had started on the right note for Sainz as he slotted himself 2nd on the grid after an impressive Qualifying session on Friday. This marked Sainz and Williams’ most promising weekend of the 24-round calendar. He then picked up his second podium for the team at the 2025 Qatar GP. Sainz was able to finish 3rd once again, showcasing his impressive defending skills upon lights out and the importance of good team strategy. The Spanish driver finished 9th in the Standings just behind Albon at the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season. He will be looking forward to adding more podiums to the tally and potentially even delivering Williams their first victory since 2012.
