Delayed Williams 2019 F1 car to arrive at Barcelona in early hours

The team's pre-season preparations have been hit by delays in the FW42's build process, which forced Williams to not only cancel a planned shakedown but also miss the first two days of this week's first test.

Following a mammoth effort at the team's Grove factory to get it finished, it now plans to fly the car to Barcelona on Tuesday night.

A team spokesperson said the car is expected to arrive at the circuit early on Wednesday morning and, if track preparations go well, then it could start testing in the afternoon.

"Our car looking likely to arrive at the circuit between 4-5am tomorrow morning," said the team in a statement.

"Obviously there will still be a fair amount to do but we will be working as fast as we can. Unlikely to run before lunch, though."

The difficulties at Williams, which fell to the back of the field during the 2018 season, have prompted questions about the future of its technical chief Paddy Lowe.