Williams will be ready for Formula 1’s second pre-season test in Bahrain having failed to take part in the opening week of running in Spain, says team principal James Vowles.

He claimed the team could have run in this week’s test at the Circuit de Catalunya but said it would have involved making too many sacrifices to their pre-season preparations after falling behind with the development of its new FW48.

“Last week we took the decision to not attend the shakedown test in Barcelona, following delays to our car programme,” said Vowles in a video released by the team. “This clearly wasn’t our original plan. It was painful and it isn’t a situation we want to be in again.”

He defended the decision to set ambitious targets for the development of its car as F1 introduced a massive overhaul of its technical regulations.

“We intended to be on-track in Barcelona,” said Vowles. “It is a result of our determination to push the limits of performance under these new regulations for 2026.

“We are transforming fast. But this shows, and my words have already said over the last few years, we’re not yet at a championship level, and we still have a tremendous amount of work to do.

“Only by pushing the boundaries can you find the pain points and put them right, which is exactly what we’re doing. I’m not here to produce a car that’s well and truly within the tolerances.

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“We have to push ourselves as a business to breaking point, and we’ve done so. It’s painful, but it means we will never be here again.”

The team’s decision to miss this week’s test means Williams will only have six days of testing before the season begins. Most of its rivals will be able to run for nine days, though Aston Martin has also indicated it will miss one day.

Vowles said the team had taken the correct decision not to make a last-ditch attempt to attend the Barcelona test.

“I am confident that our decision not to attend Barcelona was the right one in the circumstances,” he said. “It’s right to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the first race in Melbourne.

“Could we have pushed all out to be at Barcelona at all costs? Yes. But we would have compromised the rest of the pre-season and the bigger picture that we’re all working towards.

“To explain the situation, we had a number of issues which are now resolved. I’m pleased to say that we have passed all necessary tests and for the avoidance of doubt, there has never been a problem with our chassis tests which were passed many weeks ago.

“We are ready to run the official test in Bahrain and will carry out a promotional filming day ahead of it.”

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