Williams expect to miss the second day of preseason testing in Barcelona as the beleaguered British side struggle to get their FW42 challenger ready ahead of the new Formula 1 season. Williams will miss at least a quarter of their preparation time for the new campaign, having suffered a miserable season last time out.
Deputy team principal Claire Williams said: “It is looking more likely than not that we will now not be in a position to run on track until Wednesday at the earliest. This is obviously extremely disappointing, but it is unfortunately the situation we are in. We will be getting the FW42 on track as soon as we are able.”
Williams arrived late to the preseason party, arriving at the Circuit de Catalunya two hours after testing began on Monday.
A further update from @WilliamsRacing - the car is currently still at the factory, but the intention is to run on Wednesday and it will be the FW42 in full 2019 spec. #F1Testing
— Rob Watts (@robwattsf1) February 18, 2019
Although several teams were reportedly pushed for time to get their 2019 cars ready for the start of testing, only Williams failed to make it out on Monday morning, costing Robert Kubica time as he prepares for his first F1 campaign since 2010 and George Russell time to get ready for his rookie season.
When Williams did bring a car to the circuit on Monday, it remained unclear if it was indeed the finished 2019 car, or the previous year's with new parts attached.
Williams finished bottom of the constructors' championship last year after one of the team's most miserable seasons in its long and storied F1 career.