The Williams F1 team has confirmed that its new 2016 car was fired up for the first time on Monday.
The Mercedes-powered FW38 was started up successfully, with no issues reported by the Grove-based outfit.
The news was announced by Williams on social media, three weeks before the start of winter testing and the official unveiling of the car.
It will be revealed on the 22 February at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as the first session of pre-season testing gets underway.
The @WilliamsRacing FW38 fired up for the first time yesterday. No issues, great to hear the roar again & now less than 3 weeks to testing!
— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) February 2, 2016
The FW38 will be driven in 2016 by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, who remain team-mates at Williams for a third consecutive season.
2015 was a successful year for Williams, finishing third in the constructors’ championship for the second season in a row.
Deputy team principal Claire Williams recently said one of her missions is to remove the tag Williams has picked up as an ‘underdog’.
