February 1 launch for McLaren

19/12/2011

McLaren has revealed that its 2012 contender, the MP4-27, will be unveiled on February 1.

The Woking outfit, which finished runner-up in the 2011 Constructors' Championship, albeit 153 points behind Red Bull, is keeping the location of the unveiling a secret for now but says the car will take part in the first pre-season test less than a week later.

New rules for 2012 whereby cars can only be run in tests after passing the FIA's mandatory crash tests, mean that teams have to choose between developing the car in the factory and missing out on track time or signing off the car early in order to get maximum time on track.

While Caterham has revealed that its new car has already passed the FIA tests, Ferrari, Red Bull, and now McLaren, are the only teams to confirm their new cars will be available for the first pre-season test. Mercedes, on the other hand, won’t run its car until the second test.