McLaren unveils new MCL36 F1 car before 2022 season

February 11th 2022

McLaren has revealed its new car, the MCL36, ahead of the 2022 F1 season

Is McLaren's MCL36 the right car to power Lando Norris to his first F1 win?

McLaren

McLaren has taken the wraps off its 2022 F1 car, the MCL36, as it looks to move up from fourth in the constructors’ and climb back into the top three – scroll below for a full gallery.

Unveiled via a live stream from its McLaren Technology Centre, along with showing off the new liveries of its IndyCar and Extreme E cars, the MCL36 appears to be relatively undeveloped, suggesting the car which rolls out of the garage in Barcelona will be much more aerodynamically detailed.

The new regulations represent a chance for the team to continue its recent climb back up the pecking order, with McLaren’s technical director James Key saying of the fight: “I haven’t seen something of this magnitude. It will be an aero race as always.”

Lando Norris, who has just signed a contract extension to 2025, and Daniel Ricciardo, who is looking to build on his Italian GP victory last year, were both present, and are eyeing the opportunity to potentially fight at the sharper end.

“It’s a good start for sure,” said Norris. “We’re working our hardest to make it better. It is very different. It’s changing every time we go back in it [the simulator]. How we were at the beginning of last year is where we want to be.”

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“I think it’s going to be very much about kind of just being open minded,” said Ricciardo. “I’m sure some things will be expected, in terms of: ‘If we approach a corner like this, then the car is going to do that’, but then other times it might not behave that way. So it’s about trying to understand, ‘Okay, what do I need to do to get this car in a place where it’s happy?'”

“I’m delighted to see us launch all three McLaren Racing programmes across the Formula 1, IndyCar and Extreme E championships today,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “This is a first for us as a team, and in the wider world of motorsport, and it’s been fantastic to see how excited the fans have been as they get ready to join us on the next part of our journey.

“Our Formula 1 team continues to make great progress year-on-year with Andreas Seidl at the helm, and this new era of regulations represents a real opportunity for the team. I’m excited to see Lando and Daniel get behind the wheel of the MCL36 and take it to the competition this year. Lando made great progress in 2021, scoring four podiums, and Daniel’s sensational victory in Monza reminded the team what it feels like to win again. As we head into 2022, we’re looking to build on that progress and further close the gap to the teams at the front.”

“I definitely feel that the team is ready,” added team principal Andreas Seidl. “We had a great season last year, we learned a lot again, we’re going into our second year now also with the Mercedes power unit, which is a benefit. We have consistency and continuity in our driver lineup with Daniel and Lando, which will be important as well.

“So we can really focus on trying to explore the maximum out of these new regulations and I must say I’m very happy with how the team has been approaching that, that challenge. We made another step forward in terms of how we all work together between the different departments as well.”