McLaren have unveiled their new car ahead of the 2021 Formula One season, as they look to improve upon third place of last season.
Retaining their papaya livery with splashes of blue towards rear and front ends of the car, McLaren’s new MCL35M features a Mercedes power unit amongst various improvements.
Lando Norris is staying with the team for a third consecutive season where he will be expected to step up more as a leader, with the Brit not too bullish on the task, saying: “That is something that comes with getting to know the team and the car and that is where I need to step it up a bit.”
On changes to the car, Norris feels that the floor is more “compact” due to a trim in floor size whilst other changes include brake diffusers and the power unit as McLaren switch from Renault to Mercedes power.
Daniel Ricciardo meanwhile joked that he “thought the papaya would look good on me” as the reason as to why he joined McLaren after two seasons at Renault.
Ricciardo added that he feels ‘excited’ and ‘motivated’ to help push McLaren forward in their bid for further success with strong determination, saying: “I think my determination to perform has only grown as I’ve gained more experience…”
McLaren CEO, Zak Brown singled out the whole team for praise given that the car development has taken place against the backdrop of Coronavirus, saying: “The 850 men and women here have done such an awesome job developing the car during COVID.”
Brown however noted that although progress has been made in recent seasons, there is still further progress to make, as the 49 year-old said: “Very excited. I think we have the best driver lineup in F1. I think Andreas and whole team has done an outstanding job but we have a long way to go but coming off a very strong year, so we just need to keep our head down and hope we have more good days than bad days.”
Team Principal, Andreas Seidl meanwhile is ‘very excited’ to get the new season underway and is pleased with Norris and Ricciardo’s work ethic already, saying: “They have put in a lot of energy in recent weeks with the team to make sure that they’re ready.”
Norris and Ricciardo have also helped record a new McLaren anthem at British Grove Studios, which will be released in coming weeks.
Your job is safe, @Drake. 😅
For now… #SendIt pic.twitter.com/RgRrLFQKpx
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 15, 2021
McLaren will hold a filming day at Silverstone tomorrow (16 February) where the car will run for the first time.