Watch: Carlos Sainz back on track as Williams holds private Silverstone test

Oliver Harden
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A close-up shot of Carlos Sainz speaking as he faces the media

Williams driver Carlos Sainz faces the media at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix

Williams is holding a TPC run at Silverstone today (Tuesday) ahead of the resumption of the F1 2026 season at next weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

Williams has endured a challenging start to the F1 2026 campaign, scoring just two points across the opening three races.

Carlos Sainz at the wheel as Williams holds TPC outing at Silverstone

Sainz, the former McLaren and Ferrari driver, collected the team’s only points so far by finishing ninth in China last month.

The cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix have created a five-week gap in the calendar between the last race in Japan and the next round in Miami on May 3.

A number of teams have taken to the track during F1’s extended April break to carry out filming days and Pirelli tyre tests.

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Williams became the latest team to return to action on Tuesday by holding a TPC (Testing of Previous Car) outing at Silverstone.

The team confirmed the outing by posting a short clip to social media of Sainz taking to the track behind the wheel of the team’s 2025 car, the FW47, at the British Grand Prix venue (below).

Sainz spent his maiden season with Williams behind the wheel of the FW47 in 2025, claiming two podium finishes in Azerbaijan and Qatar as the team secured fifth place in the constructors’ standings, its highest result since 2017.

The TPC run is set to help Williams and its drivers get back up to speed after a prolonged break since the last race.

It is common for teams to stage so-called ‘wake-up tests’ with previous-spec cars ahead of pre-season testing each year, with Ferrari regularly holding such events at its private Fiorano test track.

Williams’ TPC outing makes the Grove-based outfit the eighth team known to have taken to the track during F1’s April break.

Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls remained at Suzuka in the aftermath of the Japanese Grand Prix to participate in a Pirelli tyre test.

Mercedes and McLaren then took part in a Pirelli test with their current cars at the Nurburgring, with Ferrari carrying out an artificial wet tyre test at Fiorano.

Alpine held a filming day with its F1 2026 car at Silverstone last week with Audi also spotted on track at Monza.

As reported by PlanetF1.com at the start of this month, Ferrari is also set to travel to Monza tomorrow (Wednesday) for its first official filming day with its F1 2026 car.

It is believed that Haas, Aston Martin and Cadillac are the only teams yet to carry out any running this month.

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Williams Carlos Sainz

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