Mercedes show off their 2022 championship contender, the W13

Reigning world champion team Mercedes have revealed their brand-new 2022 F1 car with which the Anglo-German squad intend to extend their winning streak that dates back to the introduction of the hybrid power unit in 2014.

After Ferrari unveiled its revolutionary F1 car yesterday, Mercedes have become the latest outfit to show off their own brand-new F1 machine that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will drive in the 73rd running of the Formula One World Championship. After two years in a black livery, the team returns to traditional silver colour scheme which is supplemented with black and red patterns. The Silver Arrows intends to continue their unprecedented streak of eight constructors' titles with the new W13 that has been built to the sweeping new technical rules.

Commenting on the launch of the new car, Team Principal Toto Wolff said: "We did pretty well during the last big regulatory change into the hybrid era and performed well when we went from the narrow to the wide cars in 2017."

"While we have a good track record, my message is clear: we can't rely on past success for this year's performance, but we can rely on our people, our culture, our structure, and our mindset to do the best possible job for 2022."

The W13 will be piloted by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who replaces the Alfa Romeo-bound Valtteri Bottas for the coming season.

"It just takes you back to being a kid. I think it’s always exciting watching, I mean with this new era of car, we’ve never seen such a drastic change, right? So it’s such a huge change in so many ways, that it’s just been really interesting seeing the designers and everyone coming together to find the best ways of creating a masterpiece," added Hamilton.

For Russell, it will be the fourth season in Formula One after racing for Williams in the last three years. The King's Lynn-born driver already has a race with Mercedes under his belt after he stepped in for Hamilton when the seven-time world championship contracted the Covid-19 ahead of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

“It feels incredible, obviously Lewis and I have driven so many laps in the simulator of this," started Russell. "We’ve seen all the drawings, we’ve had so many meetings and presentations about it, but suddenly seeing it all come together, seeing all of the men and women who have put so much hard work and grit into making this, and coming together here, I think it looks incredible.

“And I think the silver [coming] back, we’ve had an incredible livery with the black in the past couple of years – but the silver back on track I think is going to look incredible," said the 24-year-old Briton.

The team's new car will hit the track for the first time later on Friday, when Mercedes complete the first of their two permitted filming days at Silverstone. Hamilton and Russell will be able to complete a total of 100km with Pirelli's special demo tyres before the team heads to Barcelona where the first stage of the pre-season testing takes place on 23-25 February.