McLaren and Honda, one of the most famous partnerships in Formula One with 44 victories and eight world championships, unveiled their 2015 car online on Thursday, three days before it will take to the track for the first time.
Their new signing Fernando Alonso, who has replaced Kevin Magnussen, will be the first driver to try out the MP4-30 in Jerez on Sunday, with his team-mate Jenson Button having a drive the following day.
Alonso’s old Ferrari team will launch their car on Friday. But the double world champions Mercedes will wait until Sunday, the first day of testing this season, before unwrapping their W06.
McLaren are hoping they can revive their glory years with a resumption of their partnership with Honda, one that brought them their greatest successes.
Honda’s head of motorsport, Yasuhisa Arai, said: “As you can see with the new MP4-30, we’ve dedicated ourselves as one team with McLaren to creating a new car that compromises on nothing – either power or aerodynamics.
“Yet, in the midst of the excitement, both myself and our engineers are 100% focused in both Sakura and Milton Keynes to prepare for Jerez and beyond. We’re confident that the technology is there and I’m looking forward to see how it will perform.
“We’re about to commence a long season, with numerous challenges but Honda is determined to face them head-on. After all, we’re here to drive Formula One’s technology forward and give our fans a thrilling ride.”
