Mercedes have issued a strong rebuttal to claims that Lewis Hamilton's car failed a crash test in the lead up to the 2022 F1 season.
Team members have been working vigorously on their new W13 vehicle, as they seek to adapt to major changes in regulations ahead of the opening race of the season in Bahrain on March 20.
Having already released snippets of the new car on social media, all will be officially unveiled on February 18, just five days before pre-season testing begins in Barcelona.
However, a report that first appeared in the Italian version of Motorsport.com claimed that the Silver Arrows, the constructors' champions for the past eight seasons, had this month failed the crash test last on the side of the car.
Mercedes have now clarified the rumours though, by issuing a statement confirming their W13 model "completed its FIA homologation process on January 13 2022."
They also posted a shot on social media of a plaque inserted on the car that confirms the test had been passed.
All F1 teams are required to submit their cars to stringent safety checks in the build-up to a new campaign, although preparations have been complicated this year by the introduction of new technical regulations designed to make racing more competitive.
Among the new rules are restrictions on aero-dynamic testing, tyre widths, engine power unit development, and the minimum weight of an F1 car has now been increased to 795kg to allow for a stronger structure.
It all adds up to an intriguing 2022 campaign, with fans and pundits waiting with interest to see if the recent dominance of Red Bull and Mercedes, and indeed Hamilton and world champion Max Verstappen, will be adversely affected.
Whether Hamilton, 37, participates at all in the new campaign remains to be seen, despite him being scheduled to appear at his team's virtual launch later this month.
The seven-time world champion is yet to speak publicly since controversially missing out on an eighth crown in 2021, after the dubious safety car procedure which continues to overshadow a dramatic finale to the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
However, although he's yet to post on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, he has now at least appeared on social media via Chinese site Weibo, wishing his fans in the country a 'Happy Chinese New Year.'
