Dec.5 (GMM) Mercedes on Monday announced that its 2012 car, the W03, will not make its track debut until the second pre-season test in late February, at the Barcelona track.
F1’s pre-season test period kicks off two weeks earlier, at Jerez, where Mercedes will presumably be running with its 2011 single seater.
“We believe that the decision to run the car at the second winter test is the optimum compromise for our design and development programme,” said team boss Ross Brawn.
The news came as Mercedes announced that it is adding the acronym ‘AMG’ – its high-performance arm – to its official name in 2012.
“We are very proud to reveal our new team name (Mercedes AMG Petronas) today,” said Brawn.
