GALLERY: Check out the first on-track appearance of Mercedes' 2026 challenger

Mercedes' 2026 car made its on-track debut at Silverstone at the hands of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, completing its first laps of the year as part of a filming day.

The Brackley outfit recently revealed a revised livery featuring their trademark black and silver colour scheme for this season, in which every team will battle to capitalise on the sweeping regulation changes.

Their unchanged driver line-up clocked nearly 200km of mileage in typically damp conditions at the British circuit on 22 January to kickstart their pre-season preparation, with the squad joining the other 10 teams for the shakedown in Barcelona next week.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director, said: “We have had a sensible first day of running with the W17 at Silverstone. As with any shakedown, the focus is on ensuring everything operates safely and reliably.

"We were able to get through our allotted mileage, with both George and Kimi getting to experience the 2026 car on track for the first time. That is testament to the hard work of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.

"Our attention now turns to Barcelona where we will look to build on today’s running and add to our understanding of the W17.”