McLaren join Alpine, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin and Ferrari in announcing launch dates ahead of F1 2023 season; Pre-season testing starts on February 23 and the first race of the season, the Bahrain GP, is on March 5
Monday 9 January 2023 10:59, UK
McLaren have become the latest team to confirm their launch date for their 2023 Formula One car, with the MCL37 set to be launched on 13 February, the same day as Aston Martin's AMR23.
The event will mark the first outing for McLaren's rookie driver, Oscar Piastri, after his contractual saga at the end of last season, with Lando Norris heading into his fifth year with the Woking-based team.
Further details are yet to be released about the launch, with McLaren teasing fans on their social media pages as the launch date was announced. Ferrari will launch their car the following day on Valentine's Day.
McLaren are the fifth team to confirm their launch date and will be hoping their newest challenger can help propel both drivers up the standings, Norris aiming to build on his seventh-place finish in 2022.
Despite some success for Norris, including his podium at the Italian Grand Prix, there was disappointment all season long for former driver and current Red Bull reserve driver, Daniel Ricciardo, as he struggled to get to grips with the McLaren machinery, leaving Piastri the huge task of coming in after his Formula Two success and making his mark.
The team will also want to improve on their fifth-place finish in the constructor's championship, ending the season behind Alpine after setting their sights on that fourth spot.
It has also been all change behind the scenes for McLaren as Andreas Seidl has left his role as team principal to become chief executive of Sauber after Fred Vasseur's move to Ferrari, with Andrea Stella stepping up from his role as executive director.to replace Seidl.
While there will not be a rules overhaul for next year like there was for 2022, there are subtle changes to the rules and cars that teams can take advantage of.
The most notable is a higher ride height, which is primarily to help with porpoising but could also see teams find performance.
Pre-season testing starts in Bahrain the following Thursday February 23. The 2023 season then starts the week after pre-season testing at the same Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, on March 3-5.
