Williams coach James Fowles is “not concerned at all” by his absence from the Barcelona test

Vowles said he does not expect Williams to be able to compete up front this season.

They kept the same drivers, with Briton Alex Albon and Spaniard Carlos Sainz partnering.

Albon finished eighth in the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, one place and nine points behind Sainz, who twice finished third in Azerbaijan and Qatar.

“We want to make 2025 our new norm and continue to move forward year after year in all areas and across the business,” he said.

“There are some parts of the car that are absolutely at championship level. There are other parts that we have a long way to go before we get there, including just building the car and finishing it like a polished article. That doesn’t lead to podiums or wins.”

Vowles said he was impressed by the amount of running completed by the Ferrari and Red Bull teams. Red Bull was running the first engine produced at its new facility, and he said Mercedes “came out of the box strong”.

He also became the latest competitor to receive design praise for the new Aston Martin, their first car under design legend Adrian Newey.

“I don’t want to be an Aston Martin designer. It’s a very nice set of wishbones on that car. Really, a quintessential or interesting design.”

Mercedes driver George Russell made the same observation at its official launch on Monday.

“What Adrian has done with this car is absolutely amazing,” Russell said.

“The Aston Martin was probably the most distinctive in terms of the design of the car. I think everyone was looking at the rear suspension and obviously it looks visually impressive. But it’s not a competition about how attractive it is. It’s a competition about how fast it can go around the track.”