(Motorsport) Formula 1’s second most successful team McLaren have become the fourth team to launch their 2022 challenger, referred to as the MCL36 which will be driven by Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in the upcoming season. Revealing a bold and updated livery, McLaren will hope to close the gap between themselves and rivals Ferrari as well as mount a challenge for teams like Red Bull and Mercedes. The car was unveiled at McLaren’s Technology Centre base and revealed that the MCL36 is ready for pre-season testing.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said “We wanted something that was very vibrant. The livery changes we did last year – both in Monaco and in Abu Dhabi – we got a lot of great fan reaction and they like to see a lot of energy. I think it's got speed and elegance to it that we thought would go on top of the fast race car that hopefully we've designed this year." Alongside the MCL36, McLaren also revealed their IndyCar and Extreme E car which will be making its debut this year. "This is a first for us as a team, and in the wider world of motorsport," said Brown.
McLaren finished behind Ferrari in fourth place in the 2021 season and are expected to face a tough test from the Italian manufacturers this time around, especially considering that Scuderia Ferrari has spent considerable time and resources for the 2022 car (yet to be revealed). McLaren’s 2021 season featured their highest points total since 2012 and the team will look to build on that momentum and eventually compete for World Championships. Despite being ready for pre-season testing, MCL36 is still undergoing infrastructure upgrades with a new wind tunnel and simulator in the development.
McLaren’s technical director James Kay said “With a blank sheet of paper, the team here at McLaren have been working hard to establish a competitive platform for this and future seasons. However, we know we've only just begun to unlock performance from this regulation set, and that one of the key features of the 2022 season will be the intense development war as teams assess each other's designs and innovate new ways of generating downforce through ground-effect."
Lando Norris recently signed a long term contract with McLaren and his partnership with eight-time F1 race winner Daniel Ricciardo could be a winning combination for the 20 time World Champions. At the car launch, Norris said “Last year was my best in Formula 1 so far, and I'm really proud of what I achieved as a driver, and what we achieved as a team. But I know the best is yet to come, and my aim is to carry the positive momentum we built up over the last year and take that with me into this exciting new era of Formula 1.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo said “There's always a nervous excitement around the start of the new season, but that's turned up to 11 when you enter a new era of regulations. Heading into my second year with McLaren feels great and I feel like we learned a lot as a team in 2021, which will help us as we take on this new challenge." McLaren will begin their pre-season testing in Barcelona on February 23-25 another three-day test in March followed by the Bahrain GP on March 20.
Also read: Formula 1: Aston Martin unveil 2022 car with updated livery
