McLaren reveals launch date for 2022 F1 car

The Woking outfit is the third team to reveal a launch date this far, with Aston Martin opting for 10 February and Ferrari naming 17 February.

All three dates announced thus far suggest that the teams concerned are planning to run shakedown “filming days” ahead of the start of official testing at Barcelona on 23 February.

Unusually McLaren is to launch the 2022 programmes of all four of its teams at the same event, with its IndyCar, Extreme E and Shadow Esports projects all featuring. The company recently acquired a majority stake in the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team.

The event will be streamed and also shown live on Sky Sports F1.

In a column on the team website McLaren CEO Zak Brown indicated that 2022 will be a big year for the organisation.

“Built on six decades of heritage, McLaren enters the new season with our racing credentials underpinned by rigorous planning and strategic investment,” he said.

“In F1 we will soon be unveiling our new car, built to reflect the significant changes in technical regulations.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M Mule

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“We have acquired the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team and we’ll also be breaking new ground in electric technology thanks to our all-new Extreme E programme. For many reasons, everyone at McLaren is excited by the opportunities that lie ahead this year.

“The past two seasons have been challenging for everyone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only from a human perspective but also economically and logistically. We have adapted to overcome the difficulties that have affected everyone across the globe.

“But as we prepare for the coming season, we are confident that throughout the various championships we compete in, the promoters, regulators and our own partners and people will confront any challenges with courage and a determination to succeed.”

Brown is bullish about the team’s prospects for F1 this year, which will feature a record 23 races.

“We head into the new Formula 1 season with a clear aim to build on the foundations of our recent progress," he noted.

“In the last three years McLaren has enjoyed its best run of form for more than a decade. In 2021 we finished fourth in the FIA Formula 1 constructors’ championship, having amassed 275 points, just 48.5 points off third place and comfortably ahead of fifth.

“But we are still early in our journey to return to the front. We remain ambitious and determined but realistic.”