The car, which will be driven by George Russell and young talent Kimi Antonelli, was first seen at the F1 75 event in London last Tuesday.

However, unlike some of its rivals, Mercedes chose not to show the real W16 at the event, instead displaying a show car with its 2025 livery, which keeps the familiar mix of silver and black with Petronas green details.

Instead of running its usual first test at Silverstone, Mercedes has decided to take the W16 straight to Bahrain this year. Both Russell and Antonelli are set to get the first taste of the car before pre-season testing starts on Wednesday.

This season is especially important for the team, as it will be its first without Lewis Hamilton since 2012 and the first time since Mercedes returned to F1 in 2010 that neither of its drivers is a world champion.

Last year, Mercedes struggled more than usual, finishing fourth in the Constructors’ Championship—their worst result since 2012. Even though the team managed to win four races, shared between Hamilton and Russell, they couldn’t keep up with Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren.

There were moments when it seemed like Mercedes was improving, but they didn’t last. Russell, however, is confident that the team has worked harder than ever during the winter to avoid the problems that slowed them down last year. Even the team principal Toto Wolff has assured that the W16 has been designed to fix the issues that held the team back in previous seasons.