Mercedes does not intend to introduce a major new aerodynamic specification for its W10 at the first race of the season, according to team principal Toto Wolff.

After the first three days of testing, Mercedes’ best lap time ranked eighth out of the 10 teams but it has completed the most laps. Wolff explained the team is concentrating on understanding its current package in time for the start of the season.

“You always need to get the balance right between developing to the last possible moment, and therefore then putting parts onto the very first race car in Melbourne but not having tested them.

“We always try to find a way in the middle of bringing parts to the car that we want to test and see how they function rather than coming up with an aero package in Melbourne that we haven’t understood before, haven’t seen before. So our cars tend to be already in a good spec at the first test in order to increase the learning.”

Mercedes’ tight schedule for completing the W10 also contributed to the team’s decision not to hold a launch event for its new car, said Wolff.

“We all prefer to have the Spice Girls kind of big event and launch the cars,” he said, referring to McLaren’s 1997 livery launch. “But what we are doing is looking at things and seeing our car develop.

“We had a big launch event last year in Silverstone which was fantastic and this year we tried to go more digital and see what the impact would be. We very much explore future concepts.

“It was one factor the other one was that the timing was pretty tight in getting the car right and done as it’s getting tougher out there on track. There’s less margin in there. So we gave it a try.

“But having said that we will form an opinion Bradley [Lord, communications director] and I how we liked it and how the results were on social media and maybe do the Spice Girls kind of thing next year.”

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2019 F1 season