Mercedes MGP W01

1st February 2010, Formula One pre-season testing and the unveiling of the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS' MGP W01.

A very special, very silver race car was rolled out and onto the Valencia track and months of innovation and dedication held bated breath. Those present stopped to stare. A wintry Monday morning had taken a turn for the infinitely better.

There were many number of things that one could have chosen to ogle on this Formula One race car - Carbon Fibre components, Brembo calipers or the 2.4 litre Mercedes engine that hinted at the massive power behind the slightest of frames. Yet, what proved to be the showstopper was the uniquely designed body of the W01. The sleekly crafted nose and the one of a kind, shark fin engine cover were staggeringly stylish and they held all audiences captive.

The MGP W01 is poised at the crest of 116 years of motorsport success. Daimler and Mercedes with new partner - PETRONAS, whilst looking to extend their legacy are deeply aware of the heritage that has brought them thus far. It is this respect for the victories of the past and the excitement of having a new partner in the form of PETRONAS that have branded the W01 in its silver and green livery.

In June 1934, silver etched its way into Mercedes' history. Manfred Von Brauchitsch and the Mercedes W25 won the Eifelrennen at the Nurburgring. The drama that preceded this race made this victory all the sweeter. Prior to the race, the W25 had been over-weight and in a frantic bid to meet the weight requirements, the white paint covering the aluminium body of the car had to be sanded off. The naked silver W25 streaked its way to the finish line to take the race and the Silver Arrows were born.

The new chariot; however, shows no signs of belly even with the new refuelling ban that requires each race car to carry a 250 litre fuel tank as opposed to the older 70-95 litre tanks. On its debut, the MGP W01 ran 79 laps - 39 under the young Rosberg and 40 under the re-joining, veteran hands of Schumacher. Both racers had positive impressions of the car and they set impressive fourth and third fastest timings for the day.

Nico Rosberg: "It was a good first day of testing for us and my initial impressions of the new car are very positive. It felt great to be in the car for the first time and to get our pre-season testing programme underway. Generally everything felt good although I was sitting too low in the car and couldn't see the track very well which we will improve for tomorrow. It's too early to get an initial impression of the competitiveness but it was very special to drive the new Silver Arrow out of the garage. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we have a full day of testing to make further progress."

Michael Schumacher: "It was a perfect rollout for the new car today. I felt totally comfortable and really had a feeling that everything was very natural. It felt just like at the very beginning of my career in 1991 when on the first lap, I thought 'wow that was really fast' and then on the second lap, I was just extremely excited. I feel like a young boy again and really enjoyed myself out there. We did a good job today, just making a few control checks, and the most important thing was that the car ran reliably. With Nico and I covering 79 laps between us, it was a superb job by the team."

With the car running reliably on its debut, and the drivers building their acclimatisation to the new settings of the car, the team wrapped up their big first day. Team MERCEDES GP PETRONAS took with them a sizeable amount of data collected to help them prepare for the upcoming two days of testing but left behind the unwavering resonance that the MGP W01 is going to be a true contender in the 2010 World Championship.