ON YER MERCS

Wolff excited for new Silver Arrows era

- DANIEL MOXON

TOTO WOLFF declared life after Lewis Hamilton "an exciting new era" as Mercedes prepare to test their latest Formula One challenger.

The W16 will hit the track in Bahrain today for a shakedown ahead of three days of pre-season testing in the Gulf state.

"We open an exciting new era in the story of our team," said Silver Arrows boss Wolff.

"We are building on the incredible legacy of our heritage and we can't wait to go racing."

Mercedes need their new machine to be more consistent than their other recent efforts and technical director James Allison said that has been their "primary focus" over the winter.