» Mercedes’ new car given its first shakedown

AMG Mercedes’ widely-anticipated new Formula 1 car made its maiden track appearance during a private ‘filming’ day at Silverstone yesterday. Spy photographs and trackside video footage were snapped of the the new car, dubbed the W03.

The footage confirms that the new car has the unsightly ‘platypus’ stepped nose featured on all but one of the 2012 challengers unveiled to-date.

Under the sport’s rules, teams are allowed to perform (per driver) a 50-kilometre ‘filming’ run on demo-spec Pirelli tyres; the team ran drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg over 100 kilometres in total on Silverstone’s short circuit.

The Brackley-based squad will officially unveil the W03 at a launch ceremony on the morning of the next pre-season test session, at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on February 21.