No presentation for Mercedes: W16 will debut on February 25 during filming day. Mercedes has decided to skip the usual presentation and shakedown at Silverstone.

The presentation to be held in London on February 18, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship, has imposed a strict embargo on liveries, which will be previewed exclusively during the London event. However, the new cars will not be displayed at the O2 Arena London, with some of them being revealed to the public for the first time only during the preseason tests in Bahrain. The departure of the new cars for the Sakhir circuit (the venue for preseason tests) is scheduled between February 21 and 23, leaving teams with only a few days for potential presentations of their 2025 cars.

Some, like Ferrari, have chosen to maintain the traditional ritual of launching the new car but in a digital format, with content to be distributed remotely, a plan expected to be confirmed by Aston Martin as well. Meanwhile, other teams have abandoned the classic unveiling event for their new projects. This is the case for Mercedes, which has removed both the car presentation and the traditional shakedown at the Silverstone circuit from its agenda. The new W16 will hit the track for the first time at the Sakhir circuit during a filming day scheduled for February 25, the day before the official tests begin.

Mercedes’ decision allows for optimization of time until the last day before departing for Bahrain and reflects significant confidence in the new project. The third year of regulatory stability should not involve revolutions or structural changes to the cars, thus minimizing the risk of early issues that could jeopardize the work schedule during the mere three days of testing available before leaving for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.