Mercedes has confirmed when George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will be in the W16 at the Bahrain International Circuit for F1 pre-season testing.
It is the team’s first campaign without Lewis Hamilton since 2012, after the British driver opted for pastures new at Ferrari, as he pursues an eighth F1 drivers’ championship.
Highly-touted rookie Kimi Antonelli has replaced the 40-year-old, so pre-season testing will be particularly important for the young Italian.
Mercedes has decided to split all three days in Bahrain, with Antonelli getting the first running in the morning session of Wednesday 26 February, before handing over the car to Russell in the afternoon.
The Briton will continue in the W16 the following morning before Antonelli gets two back-to-back sessions himself. Russell will see out the three-day test in the Friday afternoon session.
Mercedes is due to unveil the W16 at the Bahrain International Circuit officially later today, before holding a filming day on tomorrow, when Red Bull will also be running.
