The team opted again for an online launch at Silverstone before taking the car out on track for an early shakedown.

The livery is a hybrid of the traditional Mercedes silver and the black design the squad ran last year, accentuated by a teal streak.

Speaking at the launch, team boss Toto Wolff confessed that the team got it wrong in the first two years of the current regulations.

The W15 aims to address that with a new philosophy.

“I believe the previous two years were necessary for us to readjust, recalibrate and reinvent ourselves in certain areas, Wolff explained.

“That root-and-branch approach is never easy. But we’ve made progress and look forward to taking the next step with the W15.

“It won’t be a linear path, but when we stumble, we will get back up and keep climbing.”

Part of the team’s struggles was a correlation issue between the virtual and real worlds, which Wolff hopes has been resolved.

“A big focus has been on improving the previous car’s unpredictable rear axle,” explained James Allison, the team’s technical director.

“We have worked hard to ensure that both axles, but particularly the rear axle, retain better control of the tyre than on the W14.

“There’s also been some housekeeping on areas in which we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect, and pit stop performance.”