Mercedes have revealed their new W08 car which they hope will lead the team to a fourth successive F1 World Championship double.

Mercedes go into the new season without their world champion driver after Nico Rosberg stunned F1 by quitting the sport within days of winning the 2016 title

Lewis Hamilton and new team-mate Valtteri Bottas pulled the wraps off the new challenger, after the Brit completed a shakedown at Silverstone ahead of the start of winter testing next week.

Hamilton admitted “there’s quite a lot of grip already” on the wider and longer W08, despite the gusty and wet conditions at the British GP circuit – adding that it felt like a “powerful beast”.

Mercedes have established themselves as F1’s dominant force since the switch to hybrid turbo engines three years ago with three successive Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, along with 51 wins from 59 races.

But the shake-up of the technical rules for 2017 is set to pose a renewed threat to their supremacy with rivals Red Bull, in particular, heavily tipped to mount a more sustained push for the world title.

The arrival of Bottas from Williams – a driver team chief Toto Wolff has described as a near like-for-like replacement for Rosberg – provides Mercedes with another highly-rated talent, but the Finn has yet to win a grand prix.

Technical director Paddy Lowe has also left the team, and James Allison will start work on the 1st of March.

Photo credit – Sky F1