Mercedes’ track season officially began today, with a test session in Jerez to get some useful running for Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli. For reasons previously mentioned , Mercedes used a car from three years ago in the test. The Italian took to the track with the W11, and will be behind the wheel of the 2020 car again tomorrow.
Antonelli in Jerez: the news of the day is the Mercedes ‘camouflage’ livery
The test that Antonelli is carrying out involves the use of a single-seater that is 3 years old. This car, therefore, belongs to an older set of technical regulations and does not follow the philosophy of the current ones – where the ground effect came into play.
The main purpose of the two-day test is to prepare Antonelli for the pre-season tests in Bahrain. There was one novelty that attracted the attention of fans on track today – a particular livery chosen by the team for the W11.
🏎️ | Kimi Antonelli is on the track with the W11 – in a special version, completely disguised.
📸 road_to_f1 pic.twitter.com/NiNj5MIY6o
— Mercedes-AMG F1 Brasil 🇧🇷 (@MercedesAMGF1BR) January 15, 2025
It was not black or even gray livery present, but a particular and new (at least for Mercedes) camouflage livery. As learned by AutoRacer, this color scheme was chosen because of some sponsorships that will change for 2025 – which meant the livery from Abu Dhabi could not be used. The team’s official livery will be revealed in London on February 18 .
No Silverstone, the new single-seater will only be seen in Bahrain
The 2025 season will be a very important one. Not only for Kimi Antonelli’s debut, but also because it will be Mercedes’ first season without Lewis Hamilton after their historic journey together.
George Russell will formally take on the role of team leader and will be called upon to make another leap in terms of performance. After several years of disappointment, James Allison and his team must respond with a car capable of fighting for wins and the Championship.
Mercedes’ organizational structure features two new names , as previously revealed by AutoRacer: Simone Resta, the ‘vice’ Technical Director who will report directly to Allison, and Enrico Sampò. who strengthens the simulation department in Brackley.
The former world Champions will have a different approach to pre-season compared to previous years. In fact, the W16 will not be unveiled at Silverstone, where the Anglo- German car ran its first kilometers last year.
According to what AutoRacer has learned, Mercedes will unveil the new livery on a ‘dummy’ single-seater on February 18. The Silver Arrows have no launch event planned for the 2025 single-seater, which will only be unveiled once they arrive in Bahrain .
In preparation for the tests, a filming day is planned, which will be held on February 25, that is, one day before the official start of the F1 season – given that the tests will take place between February 26 and 28.
This will be the first opportunity to admire the shapes of the W16 and it will be an important day for the team also to ensure that each phase of production and assembly has gone well, avoiding possible problems during the official tests that would limit data collection.