Williams performance chief Rob Smedley says the FW38, Grove’s latest challenger, will break covers on the opening day of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Williams proceeded in similar fashion last year in Jerez, though the British outfit had released an initial batch of rendered images of the FW37 beforehand. While Ferrari has teased about unveiling “something unique” at 11am, GMT on Monday, Williams has gone for a more low-key approach.

“We're not going to have any kind of glitzy or glamorous launch, we're just going to launch it on the 22nd [of February] in Barcelona,” Smedley told Sky Sports F1.

Most teams are expected to follow the same trend, with grand and lavish launch ceremonies increasingly becoming a thing of the past.

This year’s winter testing comprises two four-day sessions. Both take place at the Spanish Grand Prix venue on February 22-25 and March 1-4 respectively.

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