Yesterday, Mercedes completed the assembly of the W16 at its Brackley headquarters and performed the first fire-up of the power unit to ensure everything was installed correctly. The team, led by Toto Wolff, shared a short video on Instagram showing the exhaust of the black arrow and the sound of the turbocharged six-cylinder engine.
The team will unveil its new livery on December 18 in London during the 75th anniversary celebration of F1, where all teams will reveal their 2025 season colors in the presence of team principals and drivers. Meanwhile, Mercedes will officially present the highly anticipated W16 on Monday, February 24, via an online event, followed by a filming day in Bahrain on February 25, where George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will get their first taste of the car ahead of pre-season testing from February 26.
After finishing only fourth in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes aims to end the ground-effect era on a high note, having struggled to field a title-contending car under the current regulations after dominating the previous hybrid era.
Confidence is high in Brackley regarding the W16’s potential. According to leaks from the UK, George Russell is reportedly very motivated after extensive simulator work. Engineers under James Allison—who welcomed Simone Resta as deputy technical director in early October—appear to have identified the W15’s issues and have finally managed to design a car that reaches the minimum weight limit.
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