Sneak Preview into Mercerdes MGP-W02

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Mercedes GP Petronas provided a sneak preview with an early preview of the team’s new car "MGP-W02" ahead of its official debut on Tuesday, 1st Feb, 2011. A press image issued on Monday shows a head-on view of the MGP W02, the machine to be raced by Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher this season.

Two days after Ferrari became the first team to take the wraps off a 2011 F1 contender, Mercedes has given its fans a hint of how the car it hopes will let it challenge for this year's title will look, by releasing a digitally-generated head-on picture of the MGP W02.

The new Mercedes is one of the most eagerly-awaited cars in the 2011 F1 entry.
Mercedes MGP W02 Car Image

The team carries the hopes of Michael Schumacher's legions of fans, who are keen that the W02 – and particularly the Pirelli tyres that it will use – prove better-suited to the seven-time champion's driving style than last year's W01 and Bridgestones, with which Schumacher struggled during his comeback year.

Like many rivals, Mercedes will take to the track for the first time with their 2011 challenger on Tuesday, at the start of the first pre-season test at Valencia in Spain. This should give the first hint as to whether the German-owned squad can become title contenders again, following a disappointing 2010 campaign.

The computer image does not give many hints about the new Mercedes design, although it does reveal some livery tweaks - included an increased green element for title backer Petronas.

The team chose to pour its resources into the W02 at the expense of developing the disappointing W01, as it believed it could steal a march on the 2011 rules if it did so.

After winning the constructors’ championship as Brawn GP in 2009, Mercedes GP fell off the pace last season, dropping to fourth in the standings behind Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.