Sainz hints at bigger gaps between the teams than in previous years
Having missed the shakedown test at Barcelona, Williams driver Carlos Sainz completed his first lap with the Grove-based outfit's 2026 car at the opening three-day pre-season testing ind Bahrain. Having assessed the potential pecking order, the Spaniard hinted at bigger performance gaps with the arrival of the new technical regulation.
Having elected to skip the three-day Barcelona shakedown test, Williams wrapped up the opening three‑day pre‑season test in Bahrain with a highly productive final day, adding 146 laps to the tally and finishing top of the mileage charts.
Across the week, the FW48 completed 422 laps — a total of 2,283 km (1,418 miles) — giving the team one of the strongest data foundations heading into next week’s second test.
Albon reflected on the challenge of adapting to the new car and regulations, while highlighting the value of the mileage achieved: “We knew it was going to be a challenging three days getting up to speed and starting to understand the new car and regulations.
"The positive is that we got quite a few laps under our belt and the car seems reliable, which is never easy for the first week of testing.
"On my side, getting to grips with a new car has been a challenge, but I am enjoying the intricacies of it. There’s a lot of improvement to be done and a lot to learn to bring a better package for the next round of testing, so it will be a busy next week of really digging in to the data.”
Sainz echoed the sentiment that the team is still catching up in certain areas, but he was encouraged by the mileage and clarity gained. Having assessed the potential pecking order, the Spaniard hinted at bigger performance gaps with the arrival of the new technical regulation.
“Overall, it’s been good to test the car properly these past days and be able to do as many laps as we have done. We are still playing catch up on certain things, but doing over 210 laps has given me a much better understanding of what we can expect this year.
"The cars feel very different and it’s going to be a challenging season, but this is nothing new and I’m up for the challenge," concluded the Spaniard.
