Zero-rods? Williams's unusual 2026 F1 showcar explained - The Race

The Formula 1 car Williams revealed its livery on isn't the team's 2026 F1 car, but it's also not the same show car used by Formula One Management or by Red Bull during its season launch last month. It's instead a show car designed in the spirit of the 2026 rules and used purely to show off the team's sponsors. Not hide or point to any of its actual design choices. But it does still contain some amusingly different design details, as Edd Straw explains... The Williams livery launch car reveals no meaningful details, even lacking a push or pullrod in the front suspension in renders that have been put together more driven by aesthetics than technical accuracy.While team principal James Vowles has hinted at a "different" front suspension design, the lack of such crucial components and the fact that, as our technical expert Gary Anderson points out, "the flat inboard mounted top wishbone means zero control over longitudinal forces" indicates there's nothing to learn from this part of the car. The bargeboards and floor edges are also basic, and while the sidepod shape appears distinct, it is basic in detail, and little can be drawn from that, given the real car will presumably be very different when it breaks cover.While it's a useful means for Williams to showcase its admittedly impressive roster of sponsors, there's little or nothing to take from this technically and we'll have to wait for the first Bahrain test to see what the real car has to offer.