Williams have confirmed a new sponsorship deal with Italian drinks company Martini by unveiling the FW36’s striped colour scheme to the world’s press.

The Martini Racing colours was last seen on the Brabham cars back in 1975 and it also marks Martini’s largest Formula 1 programme since it sponsored Lotus in 1979.

Team founder Sir Frank Williams said: “We are thrilled to welcome Martini to the Williams family and officially launch Williams Martini Racing.

“Williams and Martini share a rich history in the world of motorsport, and the values of our two brands and our shared passion for racing make this partnership a natural fit.

“It will be great to see the distinctive stripes of Martini Racing return to Formula 1 once again in unison with Williams.”

Andy Gibson, president of Martini parent company Bacardi Global Brands, added: “Williams Martini Racing provides a powerful, integrated marketing platform and delivers dynamic opportunities that will strengthen the Martini brand.”

Williams ended pre-season testing with the fastest time in the Bahrain tests, and seems poised for a resurgence in the upcoming Formula 1 season after a disappointing 2013 campaign.

“2014 is going to be a fascinating season, with regulation changes of this scale often shaking up the grid and creating opportunities for teams to make a good step forward,” said Williams.

“Over the winter we have proved our ambition by making a number of positive changes; we welcome a new driver pairing, new senior technical personnel, and a number of new commercial partners for 2014.

“In Martini we have a brand that shares a passion for motor racing and winning championships. This partnership is a milestone in our history and we look forward to working closely with Martini over the coming years.”

The Martini colours on the Williams FW36 certainly looks beautiful and after an encouraging test at Bahrain, the team could even challenge the might of Mercedes for race victory.

Even the drivers overalls for both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa look great. Let’s hope Martini Racing will bring much success to Williams this season.

After releasing two render images of the E22 earlier this year, Lotus have publicly unveiled its 2014 challenger as the second pre-season test began at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The Enstone team’s design is the last of the new generation of Formula 1 cars to breaking cover, following the decision to skip the first pre-season test in Jerez, Spain.

Romain Grosjean will shakedown the E22 on day one, though his team-mate Pastor Maldonado has already completed 100km of running in a demonstration run at Jerez earlier this month.

The E22 features an unusual ‘twin-tusk’ nose design that caused problems for the team in passing the mandatory front crash-tests as outlined by the FIA.

Despite that, the sport’s governing body is satisfied with the Enstone team’s interpretation of the regulations with the twin-tusk nose which features on their new E22.

Technical director Nick Chester said there were no legality concerns about the team’s unique approach to the 2014 rules.

“The nose certainly is quite interesting,” he said after the car ran in public for the first time in Bahrain. “We think it’s a nice solution and it’s quite innovative.”

“Naturally, as with any interpretation of new regulations, we’ve talked with the FIA to ensure that they are happy with the design. It’s nice to have something a little bit different and we’re happy with our path having seen what everyone else is doing with their cars in this area.”

Chester described the whole car as “an elegant solution for the 2014 regulations”. He said the radical change in regulations had led to the creation of a “completely new” car.

“There’s very little which could be carried across from previous cars. That said, in certain areas we’ve been able to follow the same philosophies such as in our approach to aerodynamics and suspension, where lessons learnt with previous cars have been highly relevant.”

Chester took over from James Allison as technical director last year. Lotus were the last team to put their 2014 car on-track but he remains confident about their new racer.

“Already Mercedes and Red Bull have interesting aspects to their cars, but looking at the E22 after seeing everyone else’s interpretations, we’re still very pleased with the direction we’ve taken and the hard work of everyone at Enstone really has created an elegant car.”

Former Caterham driver Charles Pic appeared alongside Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado at a presentation of the E22 in Bahrain, with the team confirming Pic as this year’s third (test) driver.

Marussia has become the latest Formula 1 team to unveil its new car, the MR03, on the third day of pre-season testing at Jerez.

The debut of the Ferrari-powered car was delayed because of a last-minute technical glitch that was discovered before the MR03 was dispatched from its Banbury factory.

But after fixing the issue, Marussia was able to transport the new car to Jerez and get it ready to join the penultimate day of action.

The MR03 has been two years in the making and is an all-new concept, which features new front and rear suspension designs.

Team principal John Booth said the MR03 is the product of a “young but experienced and extremely talented technical and engineering group”.

“To have designed a car that is true to the concept first conceived in early 2012, despite the integration of an entirely new powertrain and whilst pushing hard to attain our 2013 constructors’ championship objective, is a testament to the extent to which we have matured as a technical organisation,” he added.

The team’s latest Formula 1 design is their first to feature a Ferrari V6 turbo engine.

“We have nothing but good things to say about our new relationship with Scuderia Ferrari,” said Booth. “They are extremely professional and have been entirely supportive from the beginning.”

“There is excellent co-operation between our two technical groups in all areas of the new relationship and this has made the considerable challenge of integrating a new powertrain a great deal easier.”

The driver line-up remains unchange with Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton. Consistency is the main factor at Marussia.

“In view of the significant regulation changes, continuity is key, so it is highly beneficial to our technical team, and the engineering group responsible for developing the car in the field, that we retain the same drivers,” said chief engineer Dave Greenwood.

“What this means is that we have not only been able to optimise our monocoque design around an existing line-up, but we can focus all of our attentions on developing the MR03 with immediate effect.”

Let’s hope the Marussia MR05 has improved its performance to challenge the mid-field teams in the upcoming Formula 1 season.

The Caterham team presented their 2014, the CT05, midway through the opening day of pre-season testing at Jerez.

The team had initially scheduled an unveiling in the pitlane prior to the start of the morning’s running, but an issue with the car meant this was delayed.

Eventually the car was fired up and Marcus Ericsson was given the first opportunity to shakedown the new car on the circuit.

The new Renault-powered CT05 features an anteater version of the low nose that has become the focus of this year’s Formula 1 designs.

Caterham’s version is one of the most extreme, with its protruding section attached under a stepped upper element.

The Leafield-based outfit is heading into this seaon on the back of a disappointing 2013 campaign where it finished eleventh overall in the constructors’ championship behind rival Marussia.

It has brought Kamui Kobayashi back to improve its chances, as well as signing GP2 race winner Marcus  Ericsson.

Caterham owner Tony Fernandes said recently that he wanted the team to become a more competitive force in 2014, otherwise he would turn his back on the sport.

Team principal Cyril Abiteboul said such a strong stance from Fernandes was understandable.

“I think it is right,” he said. “We should not lose sight that this is also a marketing activity and in order to promote the product we have to be successful and you have to be visible in order to attract sponsors. Right now we are not.”

Will this be the car that will lead Red Bull Racing to title number five for Sebastian Vettel and the Milton Keynes-based team?

The RB10 seems to have the potential following the unveiling to the world’s press on the first day of pre-season testing at Jerez.

Like several rival teams, including sister outfit Toro Rosso, Adrian Newey’s design team has gone for a nose with a narrow protruding section at the front.

Last year’s campaign set a new record for Red Bull Racing with their star driver Sebastian Vettel winning nine consecutive Grands Prix. The team also secured its fourth straight drivers’ and constructors’ title in the process too.

The German will once again spearhead the team’s 2014 challenge, but he will have a new partner in the form of 24-year-old Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian, who has spent the past two seasons with Toro Rosso, won the race to replace the sportscar-bound Mark Webber.

Renault will once again power the RB10, the tenth car to be created by Red Bull since it took over Jaguar’s entry ahead of the 2005 season.

The French engine manufacturer pledged a conservative approach to the 2014 season, saying “some compromises” had to be accepted to guarantee reliability.