Mercedes fired up its 2018 Silver Arrows, the car the German team hopes will bring it its fifth consecutive Constructors' title this season.
The troops gathered in Brackley for the always special moment when a new machine's engine bursts into life.
The first engine thunder of the year also prompted reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton to post a comment on Twitter:
"The moment when a thousand years worth of working hours are put to the test. This is the moment that starts everything, the moment we’ve all been waiting for..."
Check out the video of the W09's first roar.
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
