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Ross Brawn joins Toto Wolff and the Merc drivers. Photo: AC

Ross Brawn says that the new Mercedes W04 represents a clear step forward relative to last year’s car, which won a race but ultimately proved disappointing.

“2013 marks the start of a second era for our Silver Arrows works team,” said Brawn. “The restructuring we undertook at the team over the past 18 months are now growing in maturity and this is reflected in the F1 W04, which is a clear step forward in design and detail sophistication over its predecessor.

“Many thousands of hours of work have been invested by our technical teams in Brackley and Brixworth to ensure that the new car delivers a step change in performance compared to last season. We are also hugely proud to welcome Lewis to the team as a works Mercedes-Benz driver.

“With Lewis and Nico, we have what I believe to be the strongest driver line-up in Formula One and I know that a healthy level of competition between them both will help drive the team forward.”

Nico Rosberg gave the Mercedes its first laps this morning. Photos: AC

Nico Rosberg gave the new Mercedes W04 its first laps this morning at Jerez, ahead of this afternoon’s formal launch.

Rosberg was being filmed as Mercedes has the Spanish venue to itself, prior to the official start of testing tomorrow.

The team has taken advantage of the new ‘modesty panel’ rules to incorporate a smoother nose than last year’s, giving the car a much neater overall appearance.

The car also carries the logos of the team’s new partner, BlackBerry, which was announced this morning.

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber say they are raring to go ahead of the test debut of the new Red Bull RB9 in Jerez on Tuesday.

Webber will drive for the first two days before handing over to the triple World Champion.

“We had a very strong finish last season,” said Vettel. “But it was hard as the season was so long – it was important for me to enjoy being home. Pretty soon though I started training again, preparing for the new season and I’m very excited because this is the first time I’ve seen the car in one piece.

“I’ve seen little bits, but it looks very nice, so now we’ll get to see if it works as expected. I’m excited to get going again, to get back in the car, start testing and then go racing. Then, we’ll finally find out where we are.”

Meanwhile Webber is in optimistic mood having shrugged off recent criticism from Red Bull’s Helmut Marko.

“The fact that this is my seventh season with the team is a massive advantage,” said Webber. “I couldn’t have envisaged it when I joined and it’s hard to believe that you could be with the same Formula One team for seven years, as continuity is not always easy to achieve in this sport.

“I think the way we keep people excited and motivated here is important. It’s quite a small operation, but obviously we’re big on ambition and desire and that makes us perform very well. I’ve really enjoyed the years I’ve had here so far and I can’t wait to get going this season.”

Adrian Newey says that the new RB9 is an evolution of last year’s title winning machine, and stresses that tyres will be the key to success in 2013.

Pirelli has created new constructions and compounds for this season, and all the teams have to adapt.

“It’s a tribute to all the hard work of the guys over the winter because we had a very tight championship battle last year,” said Newey. “It was difficult trying to continue development of last year’s car while also doing research into the RB9. Obviously it worked for us, but it gave us a very tight timeframe to design and manufacture this car.

“RB9 is an evolutionary car. Probably the most significant change is not the regulations, but the new Pirelli tyres. We had a quick test with those in practice ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix but in truth we didn’t learn a lot because of the conditions. Pirelli have supplied us data about how the new tyres behave but past experience tells us that it’s only when we go testing that we really find out.”

Meanwhile team boss Christian Horner emphasised the continuity in the team.

“The 2012 season was tough and long,” said Horner. “But our success was testimony to all the hard work and dedication in the factory. We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to maintain continuity within our group. This is the fifth year that this driver pairing has been together.

“We’ve got continuity throughout all of the technical teams and all the key areas. I think that’s proof that there is a fierce determination to keep both of those trophies in the cabinet for another year.”

Red Bull Racing unveiled its new RB9 in a launch event at its Milton Keynes factory today.

Along with the Lotus E21 it’s only the second 2013 car seen thus far to retain a stepped nose, while the new livery has a purple element to it.

Mark Webber will give the car its track debut at Jerez on Tuesday.

More later…

Esteban Gutierrez steps into the shoes of his close friend Sergio Perez this year as he graduates from the Sauber reserve role to a race seat. This is what the rookie has to say in a Q&A provided by the team today.

The start of the 2013 Formula One season is approaching. Is the adrenaline pumping yet?

“Not really, as I feel very calm at the moment. My goal is to focus on the most important things in my preparation, and then before Melbourne I’m quite sure we will all have the adrenaline pumping to the maximum.”

How did the winter preparations go?

“The winter preparations went really well. Apart from all my training back home, I also had the chance to spend very good days in Austria in December and January concentrating on my physical preparation, mainly based on winter sports like CrossCountry skiing, climbing through the snow, etc.”

What are your expectations of the Sauber F1 Team?

“With the progress the team has made in the previous years, I expect that as a team we will keep going in this same direction in order to reach our goals.”

Do you appreciate the close relationships the Sauber F1 Team nurtures with its fans?

“Yes definitely, I think that to share all experiences, both failures and victories, with the fans is the way to make sure all the energies coming from our supporters are positive.”

Tests involve a lot of hard graft. How do you prepare yourself?

“Mainly by keeping my mind clear for the tests so I can give my best feedback to the team, as it is a very important development stage in preparation for the races.”

How long does it actually take to adjust to a new car?

“In the beginning the most important task is to solve all the car’s reliability issues so we can put in a lot of laps in the tests. Then, of course, another important factor is to get to know the car in race and qualifying conditions, which mainly comes with experience during the first races.”

How well do you actually know your team-mate?

“I know that Nico has a similar working mentality to mine as prior to making it to Formula 1 we have raced in the same teams for a similar amount of time in the lower categories.”

What will be the greatest (sporting) challenge of the upcoming season?

“To be consistent at a good competitive level.”

Monisha Kaltenborn was in a unique position today as a female team principal unveiling a new F1 car for the first time. Here’s what she has to say in a Q&A provided by the team.

In three days the Sauber C32-Ferrari will turn its first wheel out on the track. What are your feelings going into the roll-out?

“I’m very excited. The roll-out of a new car is a very special moment every year. It’s something you’ve been working towards for almost a year and then you get your first impressions of how good a job you’ve done. Everyone in the team is excited about this moment, because everyone has played their part in it.”

What are your expectations?

“This is another of those questions one is asked every year, and it’s always a tricky one to answer. What I can say is that we’re well prepared, that we’ve got the new car finished in good time and that we’ve met the performance targets we set ourselves internally. That puts us in a confident frame of mind. But we’ll only really find out what it all amounts to at the first race of the season in Melbourne.“

This is the first time you’re approaching a new season in the role of Team Principal. Is that a special situation for you?

“Yes and no. On the one hand, not that much has changed for me since I took on the role, because I was already involved in a lot of things beforehand – like the Team Principal meetings, which I’ve been attending for some time already. On the other hand, it is still something special because now all the responsibility rests on my shoulders. And that creates a certain extra pressure, of course.”

What are your aims for the forthcoming season?

“We put some good foundations in place last year. And now we want to build on that base and continue to improve as a team.”

What does that mean exactly? Are you targeting fifth place in the Constructors’ World Championship?

“We’re not saying we want to finish in this or that position in the standings, as ultimately other factors will also come into play that are outside our control. What we can be clear about, however, is that we want to continue on our upward curve.”

What do you expect from your drivers?

“Esteban Gutiérrez’s relationship with the team goes back to 2010, and we have introduced him steadily to the world of Formula One. Now he is ready to take the final step. We expect him to learn quickly and turn his considerable talent into good results. Nico Hülkenberg has impressed us on many occasions, not only with his speed but, most importantly, by how efficiently he has driven. It is this level of efficiency that we hope to see this year again. And, of course, we expect him to contribute his technical experience. I’m in no doubt that we have a strong driver pairing in place. As for Robin Frijns, our test and reserve driver, this year is quite simply about learning as much as possible.”

Sauber unveiled its attractive new C32 in an online event on Saturday morning.

The most obvious outward change from last year is a new livery which features more grey than white. The car itself, described as an evolution of the successful C31, is notable for its compact sidepods.

Speaking about the season ahead line-up team principal Monisha Kaltenborn commented: “What I can say is that we’re well prepared, that we’ve got the new car finished in good time and that we’ve met the performance targets we set ourselves internally.

“That puts us in a confident frame of mind. But we’ll only really find out what it all amounts to at the first race of the season in Melbourne.”

New recruit Nico Hulkenberg said: “We need to build on the solid basis of last year and reach some good results. But it is a whole new season: New game, new luck! We really have to wait and see what happens when we hit the track for the first time. And then we’ll take it from there.”

Giedo Van der Garde has finally been confirmed as the second Caterham driver for 2013, alongside Charles Pic.

Last year van der Garde took part in six FP1 sessions for Caterham in China, Japan, Korea, India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil, and the Dutchman has been the favourite to land the seat all winter.

He has been on the fringes of F1 since 2007, when tested for Super Aguri (briefly) and more extensively for Spyker. He also drove for Force India and Renault in 2008.

“I know I am ready to take the step up to F1,” he said, “and all the work I have done throughout my career, and particularly in the last year with this team, has brought me to my ultimate goal.

“Throughout 2012 I was able to fully integrate myself into the team, both through the FP1 sessions I ran at a number of tracks that were then new to me, and as Reserve Driver, fully embedded with the team throughout the season.

“Now I can continue to learn at the highest level of motorsport and show that I am ready for F1. I cannot wait to start work.”

The 27-year-old has spent the last four seasons in GP2, and has scored five wins, including two for Caterham Racing last year.

He was once a member of the Renault Driver Development squad, alongside Heikki Kovalainen, Jerome D’Ambrosio, and Lucas di Grassi.

Cyril Abiteboul of Caterham said: “He acquitted himself extremely well in both his GP2 season and his six FP1 sessions, progressively improving his outright pace, technical feedback and his relationship with his engineers and mechanics, giving us the clear justification for promoting him to F1.

“This is the next natural step for Giedo with our team. We continue to grow as a team and we are committed to giving young talent across the motorsport industry the chance to grow with us and this is Giedo’s opportunity to show he deserves his place at the very highest level of global motorsport.

“He and Charles have been team-mates before so he is an excellent choice to partner Charles in what is going to be another very iinteresting season, and we are all looking forward to seeing Giedo continue to progress as he takes on the ultimate challenge of F1.”

WEC driver James Rossiter is to get a chance to test the Force India VJM06 at Jerez next week.

Rossiter is the team’s regular simulator driver, and – like Ferrari with Pedro de la Rosa – the team has opted to give him a chance to sample the real car so he can help to correlate the virtual version.

The 29-year-old is likely to get a maximum of half a day in the car, while Paul Di Resta will have it to himself for the rest of the week.

“We’re developing the simulator so we need to benchmark it,” deputy team principal Bob Fernley told this writer. “It will only be a short run, but just enough to do the benchmarking process.”

Rossiter has previously tested for BAR/Honda and Super Aguri, and had his most recent run for the latter outfit at Jerez in January 2008.