Mercedes unveil new car as testing begins in Jerez

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Mercedes hope the changes they have made to their Formula One car will allow Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to defend their contructors' championship.

The German team unveiled the F1 W06 car on Sunday ahead of the first testing session in Jerez, with executive technical director Paddy Lowe believing they have improved on last year's dominant model.

Having secured a 296-point victory in the constructors' title with victories in all bar three races, Lowe hopes Mercedes can improve on that in 2015.

"The key factor from our perspective is avoiding complacency," he said. "Expectations are now high and a lot of assumptions are being made about our potential this season. 

"We are fully aware that you can never afford to stand still in any sport - particularly Formula One. 

"One of the risks with car development is that attempting forward steps can easily turn into rearward steps. You have to take risks, but those risks must be carefully managed in order to produce a car that is better than its predecessor. 

"Some changes will be more visually obvious, of course, but the devil is in the detail. Beneath the covers there have been a raft of developments from both a chassis and power unit perspective - all aimed at creating a car that is safer, more efficient, more reliable and ultimately faster. 

"With the Hybrid era still very much in its infancy, there is plenty of scope for innovation."

Rosberg was first to try the new Mercedes out in Spain, with champion Hamilton set to return on Monday.

Meanwhile, Williams also unveiled their new car with a variation on the nose they used in 2014, and Red Bull came out in a new black and white livery for the testing sessions.

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