Mercedes has decided not to organise its traditional launch event for its latest Formula 1 car this season, Motorsport.com understands.

The new W16, which will be driven by George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli , will first emerge when Mercedes runs a filming day at Bahrain International Circuit on 25 February, with pre-season testing set to take place on the same track from 26-28 February.

Current sporting regulations allow teams to cover 200km during 'Promotional Events', which means that Russell and Antonelli can share up to 36 laps of the Sakhir track.

Previously, Mercedes typically launched its new F1 challengers at Silverstone, with every car unveiled early in the morning before a filming day was run.

This has been the case since 2017, with an exception for the W12

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