WOKING, England – Officials from McLaren Racing pulled back the cover on the team’s next Formula 1 car, the MCL36, Friday at the McLaren Technology Centre.
The new car, which aligns with Formula 1’s new regulations that debut this year, will again be piloted by Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris.
The MCL36 was revealed as part of the McLaren Racing team launch, alongside the team’s IndyCar and Extreme E contenders, each sporting similar liveries.
Designed under the leadership of Technical Director James Key and produced by the team in Woking, led by Operations Director Piers Thynne, the MCL36 features several striking and dramatic changes compared to the MCL35M.
The return of ground-effect to Formula 1 changes the fundamental philosophy of the car and is part of new regulations aimed at improving racing by reducing the amount of disrupted airflow generated by the cars.
“With a blank sheet of paper, the team here at McLaren have been working hard to establish a competitive platform for this and future seasons,” said Key. “However, we know we’ve only just begun to unlock performance from this regulation set, and that one of the key features of the 2022 season will be the intense development war as teams assess each other’s designs and innovate new ways of generating downforce through ground-effect.
“It’s been some time since ground-effect had such a predominant role in Formula 1, but it provides a great potential to create closer and more exciting racing with these new regulations.”
The MCL36 is powered by the Mercedes-AMG F1 M13 E Performance, which was integrated into the McLaren chassis and gearbox with support from Mercedes HPP in Brixworth, United Kingdom.
“Our objective for this season is clear and consistent with that of previous years: we want to further close the gap to the front of the pack,” said Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren Formula 1. “At the same time, we know and respect the tough competition we’ll face and have a realistic view of where we are on our journey. We’re working through a package of key infrastructure investments, which will provide us with the tools required to compete at the top of our sport when they come online.”