Mercedes W06 2015 F1 car completes shakedown at Silverstone

Mercedes has provided a glimpse of what its new Formula 1 car looks like, after a shakedown at Silverstone on Thursday and released the first proper images of the car

The team elected to run a systems check in Britain before sending it to the first test at Jerez in Spain this weekend, where it will be officially launched on Sunday.

Nico Rosberg was drafted in for driving duties.

Teaser videos posted by the team on Twitter offered the first look at the new car, and it later issued a side-on shot showing the revised livery.

Although the images are not entirely clear, it is possible to ascertain some initial details.

F1 : First picture of a 2015 F1 car appears

A rendering of the Williams FW37 is to be published on the cover of a magazine.

The FW37, which was fired up for the first time today by the team at their factory, appears on the front cover of the new issue of F1 Racing magazine. An image of the cover appeared on Twitter ahead of its publication.

The radically shortened nose tip, designed to comply with the revised 2015 regulations on nose shape is among a few notable changes to the FW37.

The car also features the logos of new Williams sponsors Rexona and Hackett.

F1 : Mercedes to unveil 2015 car at Jerez

Mercedes will reveal their 2015 Formula One car on the first day of pre-season testing at Jerez on February 1.

The 2014 drivers' and constructors' double winners, will unveil the F1 W06 Hybrid before track action commences at the Spanish circuit. 

Nico Rosberg will test the F1 W06 Hybrid on the first and third day of the test, while 2014 champion Lewis Hamilton will take care of the driving duties on the second and fourth days.

Mercedes had a very successful 2014 season with their F1 W05 Hybrid. The F1 W05 Hybrid proved to be one of the most dominant machines in F1 history, racking up a record 16 victories and 11 one-two finishes over the course of the season.

Mercedes will target Alonso if Hamilton does not extend his contract

Hamilton's current contract is set to expire at the end of the year although both sides have expressed a desire to continue together in 2016.  Contract negotiations were put on hold during 2014 in order to allow Hamilton to concentrate on the championship.

In case Hamilton does not agree to extend his contract, Mercedes Team Boss Toto Wolff has identified Fernando Alonso as his main target to replace Lewis Hamilton for 2016 season.

Talking about Lewis Hamilton's contract negotiations to Gazetta Dello Sport, Wolff said "There's no hurry, it will be discussed during the year,".

After being asked if the two do not reach to an agreement, Wolff said "I am optimistic [of reaching a deal with Hamilton], the priority is to continue with these two drivers. But if it's not possible, Alonso is the first alternative. Then there is [Valtteri] Bottas". 

F1 : The Driver's Numbers for 2015

The 18 drivers who will be racing with when the 2015 F1 season gets underway in Australia have confirmed their car numbers. The reigning world champion has the option of adopting the number one or continuing to use his career number. But Hamilton has opted to continue with his number 44.

Mercedes 

Lewis Hamilton - 44

Nico Rosberg - 6

 Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo - 3

Daniil Kvyat - 26

Williams

Valteri Bottas - 77

Felipe Massa - 19

Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel - 5 

Kimi Raikkonen - 7

McLaren

Fernando Alonso - 14

Jenson Button - 22

Force India

Nico Hulkenberg - 27

Sergio Perez - 11

Toro Rosso

Max Verstappen  - 33

Carlos Sainz Jr. - 55

Lotus

Romain Grosjean - 8

Pastor Maldonado - 13

Sauber

Marcus Ericsson - 9

Felipe Nasr - 12

Day 2 of the Abu Dhabi F1 Testing - Updated timings

The latest times from the final day of testing at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi at the end of the 2014 F1 season.

Ferrari Academy protege Raffaele Marciello made his F1 testing debut for the team on Day 2 of the final testing of 2014.

McLaren’s problematic start to their new Honda era continued on the second and final day of the Abu Dhabi test as their interim car completed just two laps.


1. Pascal Wehrlein Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 42 laps 1:44.557 

2. Max Verstappen Netherlands Toro Rosso-Renault 63 laps 1:45.222 

3. Raffaele Marciello Italy Ferrari-Ferrari 48 laps 1:45.376 

4. Daniel Ricciardo Australia Red Bull-Renault 59 laps 1:45.666 

5. Felipe Nasr Brazil Williams-Mercedes 21 lap 1:45.937 

6. Esteban Ocon France Lotus-Renault 34 laps 1:47.013 

7. Marcus Ericsson Sweden Sauber-Ferrari 61 laps 1:47.173 

8. Will Stevens Britain Caterham-Renault 43 laps 1:48.348 

9. Spike Goddard Australia Force India-Mercedes 33 laps 1:48.738

Rosberg takes pole at Abu Dhabi GP

It was a Mercedes top 4 in qualifying as Nico Rosberg took the pole in the season ender closely followed by his team mate Lewis Hamilton. 

The other two Mercedes powered Williams cars that of Valteri Bottas and Felipe Massa will occupy the second row of the grid in Abu Dhabi GP.

Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastien Vettel who were P5 and P6 in qualifying were penalized for an illegal front wing on their car and will start from the back of the grid on Sunday.

Here are the full qualifying results:

1. Nico Rosberg  Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 40.480s 
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 40.866s 
3. Valtteri Bottas  Williams-Mercedes 1m 41.025s 
4. Felipe Massa  Williams-Mercedes 1m 41.119s 
5. Daniel Ricciardo  Red Bull-Renault 1m 41.267s 
6. Sebastian Vettel  Red Bull-Renault 1m 41.893s 
7. Daniil Kvyat  Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 41.908s 
8. Jenson Button  McLaren-Mercedes 1m 41.964s 
9. Kimi Raikkonen  Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.236s 
10. Fernando Alonso  Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.866s 

11. Kevin Magnussen  McLaren-Mercedes 1m 42.198s 
12. Jean-Eric Vergne  Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 42.207s 
13. Sergio Perez  Force India-Mercedes 1m 42.239s 
14. Nico Hulkenberg  Force India-Mercedes 1m 42.384s 
15. Adrian Sutil  Sauber-Ferrari 1m 43.074s 

16. Romain Grosjean  Lotus-Renault 1m 42.768s* 
17. Esteban Gutierrez  Sauber-Ferrari 1m 42.819s 
18. Pastor Maldonado  Lotus-Renault 1m 42.860s 
19. Kamui Kobayashi  Caterham-Renault 1m 44.540s 
20. Will Stevens Britain Caterham-Renault 1m 45.095s 

Important F1 car launch dates

With new cars, new engines, new driver line-ups and new partnerships up and down the grid, there's a lot to look out for as the 2014 pre-season starts to gather momentum.
As the first pre-season test at Jerez is just around the corner, here's a look at some important dates that we know, in regards to F1 in the coming days.

Important dates to remember for F1 fans in the coming 10 days:

24th January : McLaren Mercedes F1 MP4-29 car launch at Woking. (Online)

25th January : Scuderia Ferrari F1 car launch. (Online)

26th January : Sauber F1car launch.

27th January : Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 STR9 car launch at Jerez.

28th January : Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 W05 car launch at Jerez.

28th January : Infiniti Red Bull F1 RB10 car launch at Jerez.

28th January : Caterham F1 C33 car launch at Jerez.

28th January :  First pre-season test at Jerez.
Lotus F1 team will not be participating in the Jerez  pre season test.

February : Lotus car launch pre-Bahrain test.