Nico Rosberg will be the first of Mercedes’ drivers behind the wheel of the F1 W06 Hybrid at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain.

Rosberg will run again on day three, with reigning double champion Lewis Hamilton to drive on days two and four.

With his team already favourites for back-to-back title victories, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: “The workload this winter has been as great as ever.

“Where last year we were preparing for an all-new formula of racing, we are now faced with the big challenge of making the next step in our development.

“We know that we went into the winter with a target on our backs for the other teams, and we are certain that our rivals will be competitive from the opening race in Melbourne (Australian Grand Prix on March 15).

“So we have to focus on every detail if we want to build any advantage this year, and that is what we have done.

“This is an exciting time of year as our collective efforts all come together in the new car.

“Everybody in Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart has put a great amount of effort into creating the latest Silver Arrow and I thank them for their efforts so far.

“We are excited to see how the car performs when it begins running.”